


7 Days in Hawaii

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s07e18 Transition, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-06-24
Updated: 2006-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-15 04:05:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14783279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Josh and Donna go to Hawaii and deal with the aftermath of starting sexual relationship after nine years.





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: Thank you DLA92 for being my Beta. I wrote this because I was terribly dissatisfied with the way the show ended. I didn't expect we'd see "The Talk" or what happened to them, but I wanted to see something more about it. This was an effort to make me feel better.  


* * *

The red-eye had gotten them in just after 7am local time, what with the time change and the changing planes. They were exhausted and sore as neither of them was accustom to riding in coach any more. They hopped into a cab at the airport and it drove them to the resort. Fortunately, mid-November wasn’t high season so even though they arrived hours before check-in their room was ready.

They entered the large room and quietly investigated it while dropping their bags on the floor. Donna noted that the bathroom had both a soaking tub and a large stall shower. Josh opened the patio door and stood on the large deck, watching the waves of the ocean in the bright sunshine. Josh closed the patio door again, closed the drapes and collapsed onto the king sized bed.

Donna opened her bags and unpacked, claiming the two bottoms drawers in the dresser as her own.

“Do that later,” came Josh’s voice from the bed.

“I won’t sleep well if I don’t do it now,” she replied and continued to unpack. She took her toiletries into the bathroom and laid them out carefully on the marble counter. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and brushed her hair. She walked out of the bathroom and removed what she had traveled in, carefully putting the clothing away. It was only then, when she was fully naked, did she notice that Josh was watching her. Lying on his back, arms underneath his head, smile playing around his lips, his eyes half open. She felt a little awkward as she bent to get the pajamas she had put away not 15 minutes earlier and put them on.

He continued to watch her.

She walked over to the bed and threw back the covers as far as she could with Josh lying on top of the bedspread. She crawled on her hands and knees onto the mattress and leaned over Josh, her hair falling down over his face, and kissed him. “Don’t you think you’d be more comfortable if you removed, at the very least, your shoes?” she said in a slightly disapproving, although somewhat teasing fashion.

Josh heaved a sigh. He sat up and removed his shoes, socks, pants and shirt. He left his undershirt and boxers on. He pulled back the blanket and slid underneath. Donna cuddled up next to him. He sighed contentedly and before he could grope her – something he had thought of while he had watched her get ready for bed – he was asleep. The sound of the combined white-noise of his rhythmic breathing as well as the steady beat of his heart cause her to become unconscious moments later.  
\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Three hours later Josh thought he was dreaming about Donna lying on top of him kissing his neck. This is such a nice dream, he thought, Donna in her pajamas kissing his neck. He opened an eye only to see the top of her head. He was pretty sure it wasn’t a dream. Josh reached his arms from under the blanket and began to caress her back.

“Good afternoon.” She smiled at him.

“Hi.” He smiled back sleepily.

“So, what should we do today?”

He didn’t respond verbally. He found himself semi-erect and wanting her. He rolled her over and began kissing her neck. He then moved his lips further down, lifting her shirt and exposing her abdomen. He had time, he thought, a whole week. Before, when they had sex, it had always been a bit rushed, like they wanted to get to the “good part.” He wanted this to be the good part. He helped her remove her top as he continued to caress her belly, planting tiny kisses on it. His hands moved in slow strokes up to her breasts. His mouth followed soon thereafter. He placed her right nipple in his mouth and began to gently suck it an occasionally flick it with his tongue. She made a tiny gasp. He reached over with his right hand and began playing with her left nipple. He increased the pressure a little until she began making little moans and then he stopped. Her breath caught.

Sliding down he helped her remove her pajama bottoms and then placed his hand into her folds. He watched his hand as he gently circled the outside of her clitoris.

“Oh Josh…” she moaned quietly.

Taking his index finger he began to lightly tap on it, stopping as her hips began to move each time to again circle the outside of it when he felt her getting too excited and needing more. A frustrated moan escaped her lips. He inserted two fingers into her and using his thumb he worked a more back and forth pressure onto her clit. Her hips began to move with ever increasing urgency until she finally cried out and arched her back, her nipples fully erect.

Watching her come made him almost lose it right there. She lay still for a moment and he let her. It would be his turn soon enough.

And it was. She silently pulled him back up so they were eye level. She wordlessly kissed him and pushed him onto his back now. She helped him remove his undershirt and began to suck on his nipple. She momentarily stopped and smiled at him, “quid pro quo.” She stated, her eyebrows arched. He would have laughed had he not been so incredibly turned on by the idea of Donna speaking Latin.

She scraped her teeth against his nipple and he let out a moan as she pinched the other one. She released it and slowly trailed her hand down his chest and belly until she reached the waste-band of his boxer-shorts. She reached below the band and grazed ever so slightly against his now fully erect penis. “Oh shit!” he gasped as she went lower, now very gently stroking his balls while still sucking on his nipple. It was driving him crazy. After a few more minutes she finally disengaged and helped him pull of his boxer shorts.

Watching his arousal had caused her to become aroused again. She bent over and gently, almost chastely, kissed the tip of his penis. She had pulled a condom out before waking him and now removed it from its wrapper.

As she placed the condom over his penis he sucked in a bit of air. She methodically lowered herself on him and began moving in slow, deliberate strokes. His hands were on her nipples again and she began to feel the familiar build-up inside her. He opened his eyes and watched her moving on him, using him for her own pleasure. His hands couldn’t help but be drawn to her body and just as he could feel his scrotum tighten as he was about to com he felt he vaginal walls clamp down milking him and he screamed as he came. Had he been able to pay a little more attention, he would have noticed that she did too.

She rolled off of him and deftly removed the condom. She put it in the trash bin on his side of the bed and snuggled into the crook of his arm, still breathing heavily. He was breathing heavily too.

A minute or so later Josh regained his powers of speech, “Jesus Christ Donna, what the hell was that?”

Donna was confused, “What?”

“That…that was,” he searched for the right word, “mind-blowing.”

“Not nice?” she teased.

“Better than nice.” He said, kissing the top of her head.

They continued to lie there in silence. A few minutes later he broke the silence again. “Are you hungry?”

She was.

“You go take a shower, I’ll order us some room service.” She suggested. As she got up to get the room service menu, still nude, she felt his eye once again following her.

Josh watched her and thought of how, when he was a younger man he might have wanted another go immediately. As it was he was starving, in need of a shower, and she was trapped with him for the next six and a half days anyway. He lifted himself off the bed and began making his way to the bathroom.

“You know what I want, right?”

“Yes, you want a burnt hamburger.” She replied.

And with that he entered the bathroom and turned out the water for what was to be an absolutely terrific shower.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Fifteen minutes later he exited the bathroom shaved, washed, brushed and as clean as he could get himself. He reached into his suitcase and pulled out an old pair of work-out shorts and a grubby t-shirt. Donna was dressed in one of the robes that came with the room.

“I ordered, my turn to shower.” She said as she kissed him lightly on the cheek while passing him and then closed the bathroom door.  
\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Twenty minutes later Donna was almost done in the bathroom and the food had just arrived. After tipping the waiter an outrageous sum and quickly getting him to leave, Josh removed the covers from the dishes and discovered some grilled fish with steamed vegetables, a Caesar salad, a fruit plate a few diet cokes.

“Donna!” he called as she opened the door to the bathroom, once again in the hotel robe, her hair done up in a towel, “They didn’t send my hamburger.”

“I didn’t order you a hamburger.”

“I’m confused, didn’t you ask me what I wanted and I told you? Was this a difficult task? Did I confuse you in some way? The sex was too good and deprived your addled mind of enough blood to process a lunch order?”

“You know, for someone who spends all their time carving messages and parsing meanings, you have really limited language skills, don’t you? You asked me if I knew what you wanted and I said I did. I never, at any point, said that I would get you what you wanted. You’ve been eating nothing but crap. I thought some actual, you know, nutrition, might be good for you. Just eat your fish. You’ll like it.”

“But I don’t like fish!”

“Yes you do. Would you rather have the salad?”

“No.”

“Okay then.” She said, grabbing the salad and beginning to eat.

Josh knew it would taste like room service fish and wasn’t looking forward to it, but he was hungry. He grabbed the plate and began chewing methodically, only after he started did he realize it was actually good and he was far hungrier than he first thought. They ate in a comfortable silence, with him looking at her periodically to make sure she was still there.

When lunch was finished they put their dishes in the hallway and lay back on the bed. Josh wrapped himself around her and began rubbing her arm and back slowly and gently, as if to confirm by his touch that she was really there.

The phone rang, startling them both. Josh had specifically asked Sam to call him at the hotel once a day, if he wasn’t in just leave him a message. He rolled over and picked up the receiver, “Josh Lyman.”

“Hey there, 7pm here, just called to give you the all clear.”

Sam was specifically supposed to call simply to allow Josh to relax. If there was any real problem, Sam would get a hold of him. Otherwise he was to know that he was leaving the transition work in Sam’s capable hands and let go. Josh had extracted a promise from Sam that regardless, there would be one call a day, just so Josh knew everything was okay.

“Great, just give me a quick rundown of the day and I’ll let you go.” 

Josh sat up in bed and then leaned over to Donna.

“Hey, Donna, can you get me some paper and a pen from over there,” his hand covered the mouth piece, but not very well.

Sam continued, “First and foremost, I gave Otto the speech-writing job he seems to have wanted. He’s actually quite good.”

“Yeah, always planned on doing that myself,” Donna handed him the paper and pen from the desk across the room, “Thanks…” he said to her as she produced the writing implement and paper.

“Wait. Did you just ask Donna for a pen?”

Josh looked at her and grinned, “Yeah. She’s here.”

Sam paused for a moment. He realized he hadn’t seen Donna all day, he had actually planned to seek her out, because he wanted to say ‘hi’ but had been too busy. He just assumed that she had been busy as well.

“Hand her the phone.” Sam commanded.

Josh couldn’t wipe the smirk off his face as he handed Donna the phone as instructed.

“Hi Donna.”

“Hi Sam”

“You’re there willingly right?”

“Yes Sam.”

“He didn’t kidnap you?”

“No.”

“He didn’t drug you and send you out there via FedEx?”

“No.”

“He’s not keeping you there just so he could have access to your cell phone right?”

“I actually didn’t bring my cell phone.”

“Okay. He’s being nice to you, right?”

“Very nice.”

“What’s very nice?” Josh interrupted loudly, “I thought the term we had agreed on was ‘mind-blowing’?”

She swatted his arm, “We’re not talking about sex Josh, get your mind out of the gutter.”

“But then where would he keep it, it’s been down there so long.” Sam felt the need to add.

There was a pause.

“So you’re sleeping with Josh.” Sam continued.

“Yes.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”

“Can you put Josh back on?”

Donna handed the phone back to Josh.

“And how long has this been going on?” Sam asked.

“Um, nine….”

“Ten” Donna interrupted.

“…Ten days”

“So it’s new?”

“Not really.”

“Yeah. That’s true. But the sex is new.”

“Very.”

“Back to the reason I called…” said Sam, trying to change the topic back to the original reason he called. He wanted to get off the phone as quickly as possible so as not to disturb Donna (he could have cared less about Josh and would have almost enjoyed teasing him a little more about it) but also so he could get off the phone and call C.J. He talked to Josh in vague generalities about what was going on at work and refused to give any specifics. 

The call was over within five minutes. Knowing exactly what was in Sam’s mind Joshsaid, “by the way, we’re pretty sure C.J. already knows. Donna was staying with her and she kept disappearing to come over to my place.”

“Well, I’ll confirm her suspicions then. Give Donna my best.”

Josh hung up and looked at Donna, sighing, “Well, I guess our secret’s out. Knowing Sam, he’ll have billboards up about us by morning.”

Donna lay down next to him again and cuddled up against Josh. “He’s probably just so happy that you’re finally getting some action.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They spent the remainder of the day cuddling and talking. Not about anything specific, just about life in general, and they avoided politics. They talked about the prospect for the Mets next season and what their favorite children’s books had been. They speculated on Sam’s fiancée and what was going on with C.J. and Danny. They talked about Toby for a bit too. Josh was surprised to hear that Donna had visited Andi and Toby and the twins right after the convention, right before the leak had been made public.

“How were they?” asked Josh.

“Well, they were walking and talking if that’s what you’re asking. They’re cute and charming and very much four.”

“If this thing with Toby ever gets resolved, we should go see them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why are you so surprised?”

“I just never thought you had much use or interest in children.”

“Well, I don’t dislike them. I mean,” he said without thinking, “I’d like to have my own someday, theoretically. They’ve just never been part of my…sphere. Hey, I liked Zoey when she was a kid!”

“Zoey was 17 when you first met her. She was almost of legal age. She’s also only about six years younger than I am.”

“Yeah, well she acted young.”

“No, she acted on CHARLIE Young.”

“Donna!” he yelled as he leaned over to tickle her as punishment for the atrocious pun. She giggled and hit him with a pillow.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They had the hotel concierge make dinner reservations for them at the local burger joint in town and had been told that the walk was about a mile, but very pleasant. Donna had put on a light weight dress and a little sweater, casual but elegant. Her feet were clad in strappy sandals. Josh was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, a pair of old sneakers and an old flannel over-shirt for warmth.

“How can you walk in those things?” he asked, looking down and noticing that her toes were painted bright red.

“They’re actually more comfortable then they look.” She responded.

If it had been up to Josh, he would have walked at his normal pace, but Donna slipped her hand into his and forced him to slow down and enjoy the walk.

“You know, if we get their five minutes later they won’t close the place down or refuse to serve us.”

Josh decided he had to slow down and just enjoy the feel of her hand in his. They should do this more often. There was an intimacy he hadn’t ever really experienced before. He couldn’t remember ever holding hands with a girlfriend.

The walk passed more quickly than he had imagined and soon they were sitting in a both, him across from her, looking at menu. He knew exactly what he would get. He ordered a Hamburger, very well done, with fries. She ordered some sort of seafood plate. They each ordered a beer.

“So,” Donna started, obviously trying to make casual conversation, a smile playing around her lips, “How old were you?”

“How old was I what?”

“You know, the first time.”

Josh choked on his beer.

“Donna!”

“Josh.”

“I think that’s…an inappropriate question.”

“You know about how old I was my first time.”

“Yeah, but I never asked, you just volunteered the information.”

“But it’s useful information. And even you have to admit, I got you good on that one.”

“True.” He sighed, “Twenty-one.”

“Twenty-one?”

“Yeah, um, I was…”

“Really horny at that point.” She laughed.

“Donna! No, I was busy.”

“You must have been very busy.”

“Well, you know how I missed the Dean’s List?”

“Twice.”

“Yes.”

“Now you know why.”

“What was her name.”

“Melissa Cohn.”

“Nice Jewish Girl.”

“Yep.” He took another swig of his beer.

“So let me guess, she was very a very smart petite brunette who was quite bossy.”

“Good thing about the bossy or we would have never started dating.”

“And how did it end?”

“We fought all the time. It was miserable, but didn’t want to leave her. Mostly because I wanted to have sex again. She finally broke up with me at graduation, which was good because I didn’t want to have to do the long-distance thing since she was mean and I didn’t like her and only wanted to sleep with her at that point.”

“The Joshua Lyman dating system, learned at 21 and never changed.”

“I think I’m doing okay right now.” He smiled.

“You have your ups and downs, although I think this is a unique situation we have here.”

And with that the food arrived.

Josh dug into his hamburger while Donna picked at her seafood platter, clearly eyeing his fries.

“No.” He said.

“What?”

“No. If you wanted a fries you could have ordered them yourself. These are mine.”

“Can I just have one?”

“No.”

“Is there anything I can do to convince you to give me a fry?”

“No.”

“You know,” Donna leaned her head down and lowered her voice seductively, “If you don’t give me a fry I’ll have to use my womanly charms on you.”

“I think I’d like to see that.” Josh twinkled back, letting his dimples go at full force.

And then he gasped.

She had clearly removed her sandal under the table and was now using it to gently message his groin. Blood instantly rushed from his brain to other, lower, parts of his body.

“Can I have your fries now?”

“How many of them?” He choked.

“All of them.” She said, and then she did something with her big tow.

“Ah-kay…”

Donna removed her foot and delicately began eating his fries. It took a few minutes thinking about nothing but unattractive senators to will his erection down, at which point his burger was cold and two-thirds of his fries had disappeared.

He finished his dinner quickly and then called for the check, waiting for her to be done. She did not stroll during the walk back to the hotel and were back at the hotel within 15 minutes. They immediately walked to the elevator and rode to their room in silence.

The moment the door to their room was closed he was on her, kissing her, pulling her sweater off her, unzipping her dress. She removed his over shirt and unzipped his pants while he broke away from her kisses to remove his t-shirt, sneakers and boxers. She quickly removed her bra and underpants so that they were both naked.

Josh took a moment to gaze at her and then knelt before her and began kissing her belly. Her head fell back and her hands fell to the top of head as she began to run her hands through his hair, he breathing getting quicker.

“No…wait…stop!” she gasped.

Josh’s head shot back, concerned.

She pulled him up from his position on the floor and kissed him again, pushing him to the small table with two dining room style chairs. She pushed him into one of them and forced him to sit, his erection straining up to meet her. She found a condom, grabbed his penis roughly as she placed the condom on it and he inhaled, trying to control himself as she straddled him and sank down facing him.

They stayed still that way for a moment and then she began to gently rock back and forth, his abdomen pressed against her clitoris until he could feel her tense, his hands holding her back so she wouldn’t fall. She shrieked as her walls tightened around his penis and he came too, with a shriek of his own.

A moment to recover was all she needed, she lifted a long limb over him and removed the condom from him and threw it away.

“Come to bed.” She said.

He nodded, not sure he had words to say anything to her, and followed her into bed where he threw and arm around her waist and fell instantly to sleep.


	2. Day 2

Donna had meant to set the alarm and now she was glad she hadn’t. It wasn’t that they needed to get up, they didn’t, but she had been so used to the alarm going off, she didn’t even remember that she was actually allowed to go to sleep without a loud buzzing sound waking her a few hours later. They had fallen asleep before 11 the night before and now it was 7:30. She couldn’t remember the last time she had more than, well, six hours of sleep in a row, let alone eight hours or more. She looked over at Josh, who was still sleeping. On his side, in a fetal position. His mouth was open and there was a small wet spot where the drool had pooled out of his mouth. He snorted and twitched. No where in the years of fantasies she had about this man, had this ever been even close to how she pictured him. She smiled and then quickly made her way to the bathroom. She couldn’t remember the last time she waited more than 8 hours to pee either.

She filled the soaking tub, poured in some of the bath salts that had come with the room and stepped in. Between the general exhaustion that had been her life over the last three months, Leo’s death, winning an election, she had also spent 12 hours on a plane in coach and in the past two weeks she had sex more times than she had in the past four years. He muscles ached in protest.

Donna soaked in the tub for the better part of an hour, thoughts drifting in and out of her mind. She had been such a child when she met Josh. She hadn’t seen herself as a kid when she began working for him on the campaign; she found it interesting that Josh hadn’t seen it either. Perhaps it was because she was tall.

She had also never pictured Josh Lyman as wanting kids. His admission last night had made it clear that it was something he had actually thought about in an abstract way, and that he liked the idea. Definitely food for thought, as her mother would have said.

When she noticed her fingers wrinkling she drained the tub and took a shower to rinse herself and wash her hair. She finished her bathroom ministrations and went back into the room to pull out some clothes. It was almost 9 and Josh was still asleep.

Donna walked back into the bathroom, threw on her shorts and a tank top and went to the phone that, for some reason, all the better hotels had in their bathrooms. She was glad for it. She didn’t want to wake Josh until absolutely necessary, or at least until she had some coffee in front of him. She ordered the continental breakfast and a large coffee. She went back into the room, grabbed the copy of Time Magazine that she had not quite finished reading on the plane, the one with Santos on the front, and went out to the patio to read until the food arrived.

A half hour later she had finished reading even the copyright notice of the magazine. Fortunately, right as she was trying to figure out what to do next that would both pass the time and not wake up Josh; a knock was heard at the door. Josh rolled onto his back but did not wake. Donna took the tray from room service and placed it on the table. She ran back to the waiter and signed the room service check.

She closed the door and went back to the tray. She poured two cups of coffee; fixed his the way she knew he liked it, walked over to the bed and placed the cups on the nightstand beside him. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek to wake him up.

“Hi,” Josh said sleepily.

“Hi. You’ve been asleep almost eleven hours. I wanted to make sure you weren’t dead.”

Josh sat up and rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. He made a muffled little sound. “I was dreaming about Leo.”

Donna handed him his coffee. “Wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t really remember. Leo seemed happy, and you and I were running around with Bruce Springsteen trying to find…I don’t know, something. And Leo just kept grinning at me and saying, ‘You did good kid.’”

“Sounds good.”

Donna walked back to the table and grabbed some toast which she buttered and then went back to sit on the bed.

“I was thinking we could go to the beach today. I was looking at it this morning.”

“That’d be nice.”

“Okay, but we need to do that shopping first.”

Josh made a face.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like we came prepared. We need to get some sun screen and a few beach towels and I saw that poor excuse for a bathing suit you brought, which I would make fun of if mine wasn’t even more pathetic. I think I bought it ten years ago. I hope I remember how to swim. Plus, I have nothing to read. If I have to read that copy of Time once more, I think I’ll throw myself into a volcano.”

Josh took another sip of his coffee and then leaned over and took a large bite of her toast.

“Okay, books, sunscreen, general beach paraphernalia. Then what?”

“Veg out.”

“All day?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Not a particularly complex plan.”

“It’s a completely feasible plan. Excellently thought out.”

“If you do say so yourself. Okay, what if I’m not entirely sure if I’m capable of ‘vegging out’ as you call it?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure I can either. It’s a great social experiment. Let’s see how it goes.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Even in the best circumstances Josh hated shopping. Donna used to joke that when he was forced to enter a store on his own he did what she called, “Commando Shopping.” This entailed a first strike mentality of going in as quickly as possible, finding something fairly close to what he needed quickly, paying for it and leaving equally quickly. Josh admitted that this pretty much was the best circumstances, and it didn’t matter, he hated shopping.

At first it hadn’t been so bad. They’d gone to a bookstore first. There had been a Tom Wolfe novel, A Man In Full, sitting right in the front and he had picked it up. Donna had also grabbed a few books, although he hadn’t seen what they were, and she grabbed his book and quickly paid for the three of them.

“You paid for the vacation. I pay for the books.” She had said.

The shop next door sold swimsuits and general beach paraphernalia. Donna grabbed an SPF 60 and a few truly hideous beach towels, since they obviously hadn’t bought their own. Donna pulled out two pairs of swim trunks for Josh; she held them up to his waist and, deciding that they would probably fit, handed them to him to try on. He reluctantly went into the dressing room (if he had been alone, he would have bought both of them and just thrown them out if he didn’t like them. That’s how much he hated shopping) to try them on based on Donna’s orders.

A minute later she called out, “I’m just in the dressing room next door. Let me know when you’re finished!”

He tried on the trunks. Both fit, but one looked decidedly sillier than the other. He took the less silly pair and left the other in the dressing room.

“Donna!”

She left her dressing room, carrying a few light blue scraps of fabric. 

“There was no need to shout Josh.”

“It fits.” He said, ignoring her shouting comment. It always felt good to shout her name.

She grabbed the suit from him.

“You pay for the vacation, I pay for the suits.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They got back to the hotel room. The maid had not yet come to the room so Donna put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door. Housekeeping had a nasty tendency to walk in on you when you were in various stages of undress. Given the number of hotel rooms she had stayed in over the past year, she knew this, empirically, to be true. She walked into the bathroom to change into her suit. Josh would have probably found it odd that she was being so modest, especially after the previous day’s events but he was busy rooting around in his still-not-unpacked suitcase for an old t-shirt to wear to the beach.

He was in pretty good shape for a guy in his forties. He figured it must have been all the nervous energy, since it certainly wasn’t his diet or exercise regime (unless one considered pacing an exercise routine). But he was still a bit self-conscious about going out in public showing the scar on his chest. It had faded, it had some hair covering it, but it was still a reminder of something he didn’t like to be reminded of.

Donna came out of the bathroom wearing her new bikini. She had picked the color because it did not emphasize how pale she was, even for her. The suit was a light, almost ice, blue. She had a dress that color which she loved.

Josh turned to face her as she left the bathroom. He let out a little sigh. “You look amazing.” He said before he could stop himself.

She blushed.

There was an odd silence for a moment. Josh broke it, “Hey, you know, we need to put some sun block on you.” He spread out a towel on the bed for her to lie on.

Donna looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She knew a scam when she heard one. But she decided to go along with this one. She walked to the bed and lay on her stomach.

Josh found the sun block and poured some out onto Donna’s back. The cool lotion made her shiver a little. Josh kneeled beside her on the bed and slowly began spreading the liquid out, starting with the palms of his hands he spread the lotion out over her back and using the tips he spread it down her sides. He then began at the base of her spine and worked and gently pushed up, following the valley between each rib, slowly until he reached her top. He wormed his fingers under the top, gently stroking and then moved onto her shoulder-blades and the tops of her shoulders themselves. He poured more lotion into his hand and took her right arm, carefully slathering it with the liquid until he reached her hand and delicately massaged cream into each on of her fingers and into the palm of her hand. He repeated this same ministration with her other arm.

Pouring more lotion out into his palm he made sure to get all of the edges of her bikini bottom and covered the back of her thighs, he calves and her feet. As he ran the salve over the back of her knees she giggled, they seemed very sensitive. He would have to remember that for later. He continued down to the souls of her feet, carefully covering each toe. She had relaxed again and now sighed.

“Over.” He commanded and she flipped.

“I think I can do the front part myself.”

“I can do it better.”

“Cocky.”

“Always.”

She rolled over onto the towel and he put more Sun block in his hands, now running it over her belly and around the edges of her bikini top in long firm strokes. Her breath had already begun to quicken and he could tell through the fabric of her bathing suit that her nipples were already hard. He gently pulled the fabric away, revealing he breast and began to suck gently.

“Oh my.” She sighed quietly.

“They look lonely. I think they need attention.” He claimed.

“Shut-up.”

He grinned at her, revealing dimples, “okay.”

He removed her top and continued to suck on her nipples alternating sides. His fingertips found the inside of her thighs and he gently stroked her there until he could feel her writhing beneath his attentions. He abruptly stopped.

“Donna, I know you want to go to the beach and lay out….”

“Finish what you start.”

“My mother use to say the same thing.”

“Not a good time to bring up your mother," she said, grabbing his hand and bringing it to rest between her legs.

“Point taken.” He slipped his hand under the bikini bottom and began to gently flick back and forth against her clit. 

She seemed just on the verge of an orgasm when he abruptly stopped and started to kiss her neck and then suck on her ear.

“Joooosh…” she whined.

“I’m just enjoying this,” He said, his palm coming to rest on her breast again.

“Tease.”

“Yup.”

He continued to play with her breasts and kiss the underside of her ear. He slowly trailed his hand down her torso and helped her remove the bikini bottoms. He finally placed two fingers inside of her and used his thumb to message her clitoris. And as she began to tighten her muscles and the warmness began to build…

He stopped.

This time a frustrated shriek escaped her lips.

Josh moved her hips so that they were just on the edge of the bed. He moved down to the floor and lightly flicked his tongue over her clit. Once. Twice. Now with a little more force. Again using the flattest part of his tongue. Now when he felt her contract he moved his tongue harder and faster over her engorgement. Donna screamed, her body convulsing for a good 20 seconds. He watched her.

He now got up and removed his swim trunks, sporting a rock hard erection.

Donna had, at this point, somewhat recovered and slid herself back up the bed. She looked at him. She started to speak, her voice low and deadly serious.

“Now.”

He didn’t have to be told twice. He quickly got a condom and placed it on himself. He entered her with full force and two hard strokes later she was coming again. The heightened sensitivity he had brought her to was having interesting effects, although he couldn’t vouch for his own staying power. He had been so turned on already by her sounds, her taste, the look of her as she came. He realized he had been most turned on by teasing Donna Moss.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, her hips rose to meet his and a moment later he came, his fingers clawing at the bed, gasping for air.

A moment later he rolled off of her and disposed of the condom.

He rolled back, his naked body covering her naked body. He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her cheek, inhaling deeply.

“I find it hard to believe,” Donna said after a minute, “that we waited almost nine years to do this.”

Josh chuckled, “Well, it’s not like I hadn’t thought about it.”

\- - - - - - - - -

After a quick shower, putting their bathing suits back on, slathering on the sunscreen (for real this time), they had made their way down to the beach and safely ensconced themselves In beach lounge chairs under a rather large umbrella. Donna lay out engrossed in whatever it was that she had bought from the book store, and he was skimming Tom Wolfe, which didn’t lend itself to skimming. Josh remembered there was a reason he didn’t read novels. He kept looking at her and finally, when he couldn’t sit still quietly one minute longer, he interrupted her reading. He felt kind of bad about it, but not really that bad.

“Hey,” He said.

“Hey," She responded absentmindedly, not looking up from her book.

“How’s the book?”

“Good,” she said, “interesting.”

“What is it?”

Donna sighed. She knew exactly what was going on. Josh had rashly purchased a book he really didn’t want to read. Because he didn’t want to read it he was bothering her instead. In addition, if she had a book he might be interested in, there was a good chance that she would end up being poked and prodded into giving him her book and she would be forced to live with Tom Wolfe, whom she loved reading, but was a little heavy for Hawaii. It was why she had picked two books and why both books she had picked were about things that she knew he would have no interest in. She was no fool.

“Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It’s actually really funny.”

“Funny?” His voice cracked a little.

“Yeah, although not right now. Right now I’m at the part where they are talking about how long it takes a human body to decompose under a variety of circumstances.”

“Oh,” Said Josh, turning a little green, “how can you read that stuff?”

“This ‘stuff’ as you call it, is very interesting, a damn sight more interesting then reading polling data.”

He looked down, not able to hide his disappointment.

“Oh goodness Josh, it’s not like I don’t love polling data, like I haven’t read anything but polling data and spun polling data and discussed polling data for the last year. But it’s also not like after obsessing about polling data I couldn’t use a little bit of a change.”

“I love polling data.”

“No,” she corrected, “you love good polling data. You hate bad polling data and your unnatural attachment to polling data is what got you sent by your best friend to Hawaii for a week. In addition, I feel I can safely say you prefer policy memos to polling data.”

“Yeah. I guess.” He paused, “Tom Wolfe just isn’t doing it for me.”

Without another word she leaned over, allowing him to ogle her cleavage, and reached into the bag she had brought, pulling out another large book.

“Here,” she handed him the book, “A Short History of Nearly Everything. You’ll like it. There’s a chapter on physics.”

Josh flipped through the book. He just couldn’t get his eyes to focus. A few minutes later he had thrown the book aside.

“Hey, instead of reading why don’t you come in the ocean with me.”

“I can think of one good reason.”

“Yeah?”

“Alabaster skin Josh.”

“SPF 60 Donna.”

Donna finally shut her book with a sigh. 

“Fine, but I’m not going because I want to. Do you want to know what I’m going? I’m going with you to bounce around in waves because, ADD boy, you’ll not give me a moment’s peace until I do, because you’re bored and want to be entertained. I will acquiesce this once, Mr. short-attention-span, only because you’re on vacation, and only because you did win one squeaker of an election, but you should know this is being done under protest. And while I certainly don’t expect you to feel bad about it because, well, you’re you, I think it’s something you should be aware of.”

Josh bounced off the lounge chair not really concerned about this outburst. He had won, he knew that’s really what got her. He smiled at her, his eyes crinkled in full-on-dimple mode and he offered her a hand. She slowly kicked her legs off of the lounge chair she was on as she continued her rant.

“And I’d just like you to know that when I get sunburned, and please keep in mind it’s not an if, it’s a when, you will be entirely to blame.”

She carefully placed her book on the chaise. 

“And one more thing…” She paused for effect. There was a time where he would have interrupted her and tried to show how unreasonable her premise was, but he couldn’t think of a reason why it was unreasonable now. She was right, and it was fun to watch her spin her wheels.

“Yes,” he responded, twinkling.

“Last one in is a rotten egg.” She yelled as she raced off towards the ocean.

“Hey!” He cried, taking off after her a moment later, “no fair using misdirection!”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The resort had several good restaurants, including two with fabulous outdoor decks and ocean views and they made a reservation at the more casual of the two on their way back into the hotel, for the deck, at sunset. They hadn’t eaten lunch and so a 6pm dinner reservation was perfect. Josh felt a bit silly, the gaudy beach towel wrapped around his shoulders, his hair sticking up in, he was sure, a comical fashion. But the nice young woman at the podium seemed to have no issue with it. The reservation was set.

They got into their room and Donna went into the bathroom instantly to removed, rinse and hang up her suit and towel. She took one of the clean, white towels housekeeping had now replaced and wrapped herself in it to keep warm. Her hair was still wet and dripping down the back of the towel.

When she went back out into the room she noticed that Josh had removed his suit and towel as well, and it was lying in a heap at the edge of the room. Damp and soaking into the carpet. Josh had clearly just raided the mini-bar and was snacking on some ten dollar almonds completely nude.

“Josh.”

“Hmmmm?”

“I’m not your mother.”

“And I thank God for that every day. Otherwise this would look suspiciously like the middle of some Greek tragedy.”

“Would you please come over here, pick up your suit and towel, rinse the suit and hang it in the bathroom next to mine please?” Donna sounded a little pissed.

Josh did as he was told. When he came out of the bathroom Donna pointed to the phone.

“Message light’s blinking.”

Josh went over to the phone, his chest tightened a little bit. It was probably from Sam. He hoped there wasn’t a problem.

It wasn’t Sam, it was C.J.

“Hi there. It’s me, I’m calling you with your daily report from Sam. He wants me to tell you that everything’s fine, nothing you need to know about that hasn’t been on CNN…”

Josh’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t turn on a TV set in 48 hours.

“…and don’t worry about me calling you while you’re on a vacation, which you should have done long ago by the way, Sparky here won’t give me the number for your hotel. He insisted on dialing my phone himself...”

He voice started to get louder, obviously not for Josh’s benefit.

“…not that, given that we are calling from the White House Chief of Staff's office and I am, funnily enough, the White House Chief of Staff I couldn’t actually have MY OWN phone records pulled, at great expense to the public mind you, so anytime I might want to call I could…”

Josh next heard Sam’s voice in the background.

“C.J….”

C.J. continued.

“…but don’t worry, I won’t. And hey, funny coincidence, Donna is also away on vacation this week, quite unexpectedly apparently. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you? Because Sam here is playing stupid.”

It was clear from C.J.’s sarcastic tone that she knew exactly what was going on.

"Not playing..." said Sam again in the background.

“On that little thought I’ll leave you. I’m sure Sam will call you tomorrow with no news. Bye. Say goodbye Sam.”

Sam’s voice again from the background called out.

“Goodbye Sam.”

And C.J. again.

“Shut up Gracie. Idiot.”

And with that the call ended.

Josh replayed the message for Donna, who smirked.

“Time for a shower,” Donna said after hanging up the phone, “we need to wash the ocean off of us, we’re both sticky and not in a good way.”

Josh didn’t have to be told twice.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He lathered up her back and front, and she did the same to him. She had been in the sun for about an hour with an SPF 60 on and with that she was pink. Her stomach, the backs of her legs, her chest, her shoulders. Her nose and cheeks and a tiny point on her chin where it stuck out were also cutely pink. But she had also freckled. Tiny, almost imperceptible, light freckles covered her nose and under her eyes but it was the ones on her chest that got his attention.

A constellation of freckles had exploded into a galaxy of tiny brown spots. It got to him. He never noticed her freckle. He supposed that was because they rarely saw the sun together. It was charming. She turned to get the soap off her back and he started to stare at that part of her chest, becoming visibly more excited.

“Josh, while I appreciate the thought, could you stop staring at my breasts. In this culture it’s considered rude to gape at them.”

“Okay, first,” he said, moving his eyes up to her own, “I suspect Emily Post does not set specific guidelines for where to look when naked in the shower when with a naked woman.”

“You know you just said ‘naked’ there twice right?”

“Yeah, well, we are both naked.”

“Yeah, okay, and while I suspect you are correct and there is not a specific chapter regarding what body parts are acceptable to stare at when with someone naked in a shower, it is, most likely, a general guideline.”

“Well, good thing I wasn’t staring at your breasts so it’s a moot point now, isn’t it.”

“I’m pretty sure I know where my breasts are and I can tell the general trajectory of where you were looking and it seems quite likely that your eyes were focused on my breasts.

“Well then, you miscalculated.”

“Miscalculated?”

“Yes. It was a miscalculation on your part. You had no way of knowing.”

“So what exactly were you looking at then.”

“Your chest.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your chest.”

“And that’s different how?”

He took the palm of his hand and placed it right in the center of her chest, above her breasts, his hand feeling the warmth radiating off of her sunburn.

“I was staring right here.”

“Why?”

“It’s beautiful.”

His erection had been growing, to her considerable amusement, throughout the entire exchange.

He leaned in and began gently kissing her clavicle. His arms wrapped around her possessively and he hands came to rest on her ass. His lips trailed down too, purposefully avoiding her breasts.

His kisses became more urgent, his erection pointing skyward.

She pulled him back up to her, and he looked at her confused. Perhaps he had been too rough this morning, maybe she didn’t want to…

And then she bent her head down and kneeled on the floor of the shower. She took his penis and slowly stroked the shaft, concentrating on the underside, her other hand lightly stroking his balls. She took the tip in her mouth and slowly ran her tongue around the edge of the head. Josh grabbed on to the safety bar in the shower for fear his knees would buckle.

She took the entire length into her mouth, down her throat and began slowly moving it in and out sucking and licking, with just the right amount of teeth every once in a while for variation. As she sped up, based on his breathing and his legs shaking she increased the pressure on his balls. Finally he cried out, “Oh, oh oh, Donna!” and she took his orgasm in her mouth and swallowed, then released him as his back fell against the shower wall and he slid slowly to the floor of the stall shower next to her.

He looked at her with astonishment, “How the hell did you learn to do that?”

“I’m not going to tell you.”

“Why not?”

“You’ll make fun.”

“I can guarantee you I will not make fun.”

“No, I’m pretty sure you will.”

“I can promise I’ll never make fun, because if I ever am to make fun you might not do that again and I don’t want that.”

“Okay. I’ll tell you. But we must never speak of it.”

“This isn’t some kind of traumatic thing is it?” Josh asked, somewhat seriously.

“No, no, no, no!” Donna laughed, “You know I went to school at the University of Wisconsin, right.”

“Yeah.”

“And you know how there isn’t much to do in Wisconsin? Right?”

“What, you mean eat cheese, tip cows, and chug beer isn’t enough for you?”

“Yeah, well, right, you know that last one you mentioned?”

“Chug beer?”

“If you really want to chug a beer you don’t actually swallow. You open your throat up, let the muscles go slack, rid yourself of a gag reflex, which you can train yourself to do pretty easily, and just pound it back in one smooth move.”

“And how quickly can you do that?”

“By my freshman spring I could pound a beer in 3.4 seconds. They clocked me.”

“No, I mean, rid yourself of the gag reflex.”

“Oh, turns out I never had one.”

“Okay.”

“And, well, what I just did there, the principle’s the same. It’s the same skill set.”

“And this was a skill you willingly learned.”

“Well, I was in college. Can you stand yet?”

“I think so.”

“Good, because I still need to wash my hair.” She began to rise.

Josh got himself off of the floor of the shower, “Can I help? I can promise no more funny stuff. At least for now.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They had dried off and Donna had kicked Josh out of the bathroom so she could blow-dry her hair and he sat on the bed for a moment, dressed in one of the hotel robes, staring at the TV which had not been touched since they got there. He sighed and, hearing the hair dryer going, walked back into the bathroom.

Donna turned off the dryer and looked at him. “What?”

“Um, I know we’re on vacation, but, I was wondering, would it be okay if I turned on CNN for a little while?”

“What time is it?”

“5:15.”

“Of course it’s not a problem, but you have to turn it off by 5:45 so that we can be at dinner on time.”

Josh’s face lit up.

“Thanks!” He said, kissing her gently on the lips. “Thank you.”

“You know, you always could have watched CNN. I certainly wouldn’t have stopped you.”

“Oh. Well that’s good to know.” He said as he turned and walked out of the bathroom, positively making a bee-line for the TV and CNN.

Donna shook her head, turned on the hair dryer again and turned her attention back to her hair. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Josh and Donna arrived at the restaurant in the lobby at the appointed time, they were shown to their table on the deck, over looking the ocean to the west.

They were starving so they decided to go all out on food. Donna ordered the Peking duck salad for an appetizer and the Island Fish sampler for an entrée. Josh went with the spring rolls and the rack of lamb, done well, no pink.

Their drinks arrived, Donna’s fruity concoction with an umbrella and enough garnish to be a meal in itself and Josh’s beer.

“So, I figured something out.” Donna began.

“When?” Josh asked absentmindedly, he was busy staring at her loveliness. She was wearing a pair of white Capri pants which set off her long legs, her top was a silk flowered thing, he didn’t know what it was called, it didn’t have sleeves, and was tan with pink. She had a small gold necklace around her neck, and a flawless complexion with no make up on it. Of course she was wearing a little make-up, but only just enough to bring out her positives and hide the negatives.

“In the shower.”

He blushed.

“Oh…so what did you figure out?”

“You get turned on by arguing?”

“Donna!”

“You do! Don’t deny it, I saw what happened when we were in the shower having that argument. It explains a lot actually.”

“I was in a shower with a beautiful naked woman,” it was Donna’s turn to blush, “of course there was a reaction.”

“No, it was more than that. You were aroused before, but when we started, I don’t know, bickering, you just got that look in your eyes. I’ve seen it before, but I didn’t know what to associate it with. Now I do. You get totally turned on. I can’t believe I never saw it before.”

“Donna, I do not get ‘that look in my eyes’…do I?”

“Yeah, you do.”

“I guess I do.”

“It’s sort of sick actually.”

“Oh.”

“I mean that in a good way.”

“How is it possible that I could be kind of sick in a good way.”

Donna leaned towards him, whispering, “I find it kind of a turn on too.”

She leaned back, smiling broadly. Josh was gob smacked until the next words came out of her mouth.

“You perv.” She teased.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The appetizers had come and gone. The main courses had just been placed in front of them. Josh was nursing his second beer of the night, he was tempted to order one for her too, just to see her chug it, but he had promised he wouldn’t tease her about it. She was drinking her second, but different fruity concoction of the night.

“Well, it explains Amy, and Mandy I suppose.” Donna said out of nowhere.

Josh looked at her. It wasn’t really something you wanted to discuss, you’re old girlfriends with, well, whatever Donna was.

“They were smart, they were funny. Sure they busted my balls. But I don’t regret either of them.”

Donna shot him a look.

“Okay, well I don’t regret Amy.”

She shot him another look.

“Okay, well I don’t regret Amy the first time.” He tried some misdirection next, “And what about you, what is it about you that causes you to date guys who use you, treat you like you’re not extraordinary, and when you really start believing it they walk out on you?”

“Wow. You really don’t want to talk about Amy, do you?”

“The President-Elect offered her Director of Legislative Affairs at Leo’s funeral.”

“Shit. Did she take it?”

“I don’t know yet. I hope not. I’ll have enough to do without wrangling her every other day.”

“Hopefully she’ll decide she doesn’t want Josh Lyman as her boss.”

“Yeah. But back to you, what is that all about?”

“You know Josh, I wouldn’t know. Because that’s not, ever, what happened.”

“Yeah it is, you dated these guys who just weren’t worthy. They were losers. You couldn't do better than losers?”

“They weren’t losers Josh. We’re having a nice meal here. I don’t want to argue. But you’re wrong.”

“They took advantage of you Donna. They couldn’t possibly have had your well being at heart. None of them care about you the way…” His voice caught.

“The way what Josh? The way my boss felt about me? ‘Cause that’s not particularly helpful when you can’t sleep with your boss. Look, you’re my best friend. You’ve been my best friend for years and years. Even when we weren’t talking you were my best friend. If I had ever needed anything I knew I could have come to you. You would have fixed things. It was nice I didn’t need you, but it was nice to know you were there.”

He looked down, “I’ll always be there.” He said quietly.

“I know.” She said, grabbing his hand under the table.

“Let’s just eat dinner and watch the sunset, okay?”

“It’s a nice sunset.” He said, looking at her again, gripping her hand more firmly under the table.

“Yes it is.”

“You know, you’re my best friend too.”

“And if you ever needed anything, I would be there. Even if we weren’t talking.”

He smiled at her and looked away. “I know.” He said, his voice hitching.

“So let’s enjoy the sunset and I’ll stop teasing you about your ex-girlfriends and you’ll stop insulting my ex-boyfriends and after dinner we’ll go back up to the room, raid the mini-bar for teeny-tiny bottles of scotch, and we can snuggle to CNN. Sound good?”

“Sounds really good.” He said as he smiled.

“Good. Now I need my hand back so I can finish dinner.”


	3. Day 3

Josh woke at 3:24am. CNN was still quietly playing on the television. Donna was curled up in a little ball, pressed up against him. The door to the patio was open, making the room quite chilly. He liked the fresh air and liked the breeze and the sound of the ocean, but Donna looked cold. He noticed goose pimples on her arms.

They had come back to the room and raided the mini-bar as planned, she had two gin and tonics and he had a glass of scotch. They had turned on CNN and discussed the various stories. Amy had taken the Director of Legislative Affairs job, and they were both a little unhappy about that. Donna had changed into her pajamas and then had lamented loudly about not having fresh lime for her drink. With the news of Amy (whom they both agreed would be great if she didn’t attempt to hijack her position in the White House to push her own legislative agenda) still fresh in her mind she curled up next to him. She had passed out shortly thereafter, both from the exhaustion and from haw potent her four drinks had been.

Josh had continued to watch CNN and sip his scotch, lost in thought about various aspects of the transition. It was clear they were trying not to mention cabinet positions until they announced VP. Baker was probably going to be it. Josh thought of a dozen different ways they could get him through the Senate, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

He had fallen asleep with the TV still on, his drink only half finished. And now he was awake. He realized he should either get her under the covers or close the door, but he liked the sound of the ocean. He got off the bed and pulled down the covers as far as he could with Donna lying on top of them. He tried to swing her legs so he could sort of shift her over the covers and then tuck her in without her waking up.

Unfortunately, his plan had not worked.

“Hunh, what, Josh?” Donna said still mostly asleep.

“Shhhhh. You’re cold, just get under the covers.”

“you up?

“Just going to the bathroom. Don’t worry about it, Go back to sleep. Okay.”

“’kay”

She slipped under the covers which he pulled up for her.

“You okay.”

“okay.” She mumbled

“You gonna get some sleep?”

“hmmmm.”

“Okay,” he kissed her on her forehead, “goodnight. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Mmm-hmmmm.”

And then she said it. She wasn’t even really awake. She wasn’t even conscious but she said it. Quietly, under her breath, as she drifted off to sleep.

“love you.” 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Josh walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. For the first time he noticed that he hadn’t shaved in two days. His stubble had begun to come in…gray. His skin had actually gotten a bit of color, even under the SPF 60 and the bags and dark coloring under his eyes had begun to diminish, although they hadn’t completely gone away.

What the hell did she see in him? He was much older than she was. He was a mass of neuroses. He was driven, but a failed perfectionist. He wasn’t wealthy, although he was sure he could be if he wanted to. He had no hobbies other than his job. She could have anyone, he knew it, why did she seem to want him? Why had she initiated sex? He certainly wouldn’t have. Until Hawaii he had never made any move, save the very unexpected kiss they shared and his offer to let her stay with him after the election, and both could be explained away, the kiss from excitement, the offer just because she had stayed there before and he knew she needed a place. And she had turned down living together. Yet now his overtures seemed welcome and she said that…that thing to him. She was barely conscious, she might not have even meant it.

He felt like that day three weeks before the election. Terribly, terribly confused.

And this evening she had said he was her best friend and she would always be there for him. But this thing they were doing, it had to have an end game in, now three weeks and four days, her time table. She had thrown the ball with extreme force into his yard and now she expected him to do something with it. He had no idea what to do.

If he had never kissed her, he reasoned, she would have never made a pass, he would have never slept with her and she could take the Deputy Communications Director job and then he would be able to see her every day if he wanted to. But now he couldn’t, because she wouldn’t take the job, because they had slept together. It wasn’t fair.

She hadn’t put any pressure on him to talk yet. He was sure she would have when they left together, but it hadn’t yet come up. Not on the plane ride and not in the hotel. It had only been two days but he was sure it was coming and he was hoping she would start it. But she wouldn’t. The ball was with him. Or maybe it was a sign that she didn’t really care?

But then she had just said the thing. Maybe she was thinking of Leo.

And when they got back to DC and work started ramping up again, which would be about 15 minutes after they got back, then what? Would she really have any interest in a middle aged, balding, workaholic with post traumatic stress disorder and a nasty tendency to whine and yell at the closest person to him when he didn’t get his way?

He felt himself getting worked up, he was breathing heavily now. He tried to calm himself down. What if they stayed together? What if they really did start dating? How could he show her how he cared? He thought of all the anniversaries he could torture her with. The one in February when she came to work for him the first time, the one in April when she return to him, the one in August when she started working for Santos, the one in October when they kissed and the one the day before Leo died in November when they first had sex. Five perfectly good anniversaries to torture her with. Hideous bouquets, he had a place he liked to go to where the owner really had no taste.

He could do five anniversaries. If, sometime down the road, they got engaged, that would be six and if they ever got married, that would be seven. He paused in his thinking. Did he just think about marriage with a woman he had slept with only two weeks ago? He wasn’t ready for that. He was only…well…realistically he was in his mid-forties. And she was his best friend and no matter what she would always be there for him. She had said that.

He relaxed a little, realizing that soul searching at 3:30 in the morning was never a good idea. He splashed cool water on his face and took a deep breath. She would be there for him. And she had said that thing. And maybe she didn’t mean that thing, but maybe she did. And right now she was in his bed, and he wasn’t, and that’s where he needed to be.

Josh left the bathroom, turning off the light, and crawled in bed next to her. She was asleep but curled herself next to him and mumbled something incoherent. Josh closed his eyes, feeling suddenly exhausted, and fell back to sleep.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was 6am when Josh woke again. The sun had started to rise. Donna, for some reason, was sleeping diagonally on the bed, but not in a good way, with her head all the way on the other side of the bed and her feet woven between his legs.

Josh got up silently. He routed around his suitcase for a pair of running shorts and a grubby tee-shirt found some clean socks and his room card. He dressed silently. He left equally quietly and went do to the concierge desk to ask if there was a good running trail. As it turned out, there were several and he went to run a few miles, which he hadn’t done in the past year, and clear his head. He wanted to be in a good place for Donna. He reflected on his anxiety attack the night before, blaming it on the fact that being away from work was hard for him. For the next hour he wanted to not think of nothing but the rhythm of his steps and the pace of his breathing. He wanted to keep his mind from thinking about anything but here and relaxing.

He got to the running path, did a few meager stretches, and went on his way.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

An hour later a somewhat sweaty Josh returned to the room with two cups of coffee, a raisin oat muffin and a container of fruit. He had slowly inserted and removed the key card from the door twice before it finally worked for him.

Donna was still out cold. He placed the coffee and food down and took a quick shower and shave. Then he exited the bathroom in only a towel. She was still asleep.

He untucked the bottom of the blanket and found her feet which no longer had socks on, she had removed them some time during the night. They were cute. He began to kiss her toes.

“mmmmmm” she mumbled, still asleep but obviously moving into consciousness, he slowly worked his way up her legs, hissing and licking her calves. He had remembered that the backs of her knees were ticklish. Back in college he had dated a girl who had equally ticklish places, although he didn’t remember knees specifically, and she claimed that they were all erogenous zones when they weren’t being tickled. At the time he hadn’t known what to do with that nugget of information. Now he had a plan.

Donna was lying on her stomach, so the position was not a problem. Her loose fitting pajama bottoms had ridden up during the night and were hiked up to just about her knees anyway. He made his way slowly up, towards her knees. Donna encouraged him with sleepy but appreciative “mmmm”s. He placed his mouth on the back of her right knee and began to suck and lick it gently. He was surprised by her reaction.

He had expected the “mmmm”s to continue at best and her to yell “Josh what the hell are you doing, get off” at worst. What he hadn’t expected was what actually happened.

She took a sharp intake of breath and let out a long, soft moan. He decided to see if it worked on the other knee as well. It did. He spent the next ten minutes doing nothing but licking, sucking and nibbling on the back of her knees. His hand had gone under her pajama bottoms and he was gently stroking right thigh. Her sighs were becoming increasingly like moans and then, as he was about to move up and help her remove her pants he felt her whole body tense as she shuddered to an orgasm.

He stopped, unsure of what had just happened.

“You okay?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Did you just…”

“Uh-huh.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay then.” Josh was grinning from ear to ear.

Josh jumped off the bed to get Donna the now lukewarm coffee, the muffin and the fruit.

Donna had flipped over by this time and was looking at Josh strangely.

He crawled into bed next to her. “Coffee?”

“Thanks,” she said as she took a sip. “Um, do you have…needs?” She glanced at him sideways.

“I’m good for now, perhaps this afternoon.”

“Yeah.”

“You sure you’re okay?” He offered her the muffin.

Donna pulled a piece of the muffin off and popped it in her mouth, “Yeah, just a little, you know, freaked.”

“Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she started casually, “maybe because I just woke up to an orgasm that was caused by nothing more then some guy SUCKING ON THE BACK OF KNEES!”

“So that’s not a common occurrence then?”

“An orgasm without anything by foreplay? Weird foreplay? No. Not common. Not ever.”

“And so no one ever…”

“Spent the better part of ten minutes making out with my knees? No, can’t say that one’s happened either.”

“I’m just that good hunh?”

“Sure Josh, you’re a God.”

“So what’s wrong.”

“Well, as I said before, I’m a little freaked.”

Josh’s face fell. He thought he had done good. She clearly wasn’t happy. “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” She said, chewing on a piece of fruit, “I’m a grown woman who has, and pardon me for bringing this up while in bed with you but, a modicum of sexual experience and then a guy I’ve only been sleeping with for two weeks discovers I have erogenous zones I didn’t actually know I had. I think that’s fairly freaky.”

“But in a good way right?” Josh’s dimpled smile was back.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

After breakfast Donna showered and dressed. She had made an appointment for a manicure and pedicure the day before. After that she had hoped to do a little shopping. Josh had declined to go along.

“What are you going to do instead?” Donna asked.

“I don’t know, read one of the books you bought?”

“Right, sure, right after you run downstairs and pick of three newspapers. Then you’re going to try to formulate a plan to get Baker confirmed as VP because you don’t want it to be done by the electoral college.”

He seemed very surprised that she knew, “If you don’t think I should do it…” he trailed off.

“No, it’s exactly what you should do. You enjoy these types of mental exercises. I don’t feel quite that way, but then you don’t understand the allure of shopping, so there you go. Do me a favor and at least sit outside looking at palm trees while you do it. Okay?”

Without waiting for an answer she leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

“Besides, it’ll give you and Sam something to talk about and you won’t feel so out of the loop. But remember, when I get back, your ass is mine.”

And she left.  
\- - - - - - - - - - - -

Three hours later she returned with pink nails and four large shopping bags.

Josh was on the patio, shirtless, with sunglasses on. He was using the last of the hotel stationary to make notes. The pages were filled.

Donna dropped the bags and reached in to get a smaller bag out of one of them. She walked over to the patio and kissed Josh on the top of his head.

“Here.” She said, handing Josh the bag.

He looked inside the bag to discover three legal pads, a bunch of pens he liked, and about 1,000 large blue note cards. He looked at her, astonished.

“Apparently, Staples is everywhere,” she explained, “but there are three conditions on which you get to keep these items. First, you can only work when we’re not doing something else.”

“Okay.”

"The second, I signed us up for a volcano tour tomorrow and you have to go.”

“Okay.”

“The third is that if, at any time, your working isn’t working for me, I get to take the stuff away.”

“Okay.”

“So, now it’s almost one, I was told by someone I met about a good barbeque shack about a mile down the beach from the resort, let’s go there for lunch, okay?”

And with that he put on a shirt and they were off.

\- - - - - - - - - 

They had both ordered the char-grilled mahi-mahi and were sitting at the little wooden table on benches picking at the last of their respective pieces of fish. A lull in the conversation had started.

“So,” Donna began, a twinkle in her eye.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“I’ve been thinking….”

“Never a good thing.”

“Yesterday you said something.”

“Yesterday I said a lot of things.”

“Yeah, but one in particular caught my attention.”

“And that was?”

“After yesterday morning’s particularly good romp, I said something about how we should have done this sooner and you said you had thought about it.”

“Yeah.”

“What particularly did you think of?”

“Are you asking me if I ever had unprofessional thoughts about my assistant?” He grinned.

“That’s exactly what I’m asking you.”

“Well, you were my assistant.” He intoned as if that precluded any type of impure thought.

“And you’re avoiding the question.”

He sighed. “You know I’m a man, right? We have inappropriate thoughts about pretty much anything, right?”

“So, any sexual fantasies about Margaret?”

“Ew, no.”

“Bonnie?”

“No.”

“Ginger?”

“Well, actually…”

“I don’t want to know. How about Carol?”

“Nope.”

“C.J.?”

“Donna! She’s like a sister. That’s just sick.”

“So, c’mon, what about me? What did I rate? C’mon! You’re sleeping with me now. It might give me some ideas!”

Josh looked unconvinced.

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Donna tried.

“You go first.”

“You brought it up.”

“I did not.”

“You brought it up yesterday.”

“It’s more than a little embarrassing Donna. I wasn’t supposed to think of you that way. It borders on sexual harassment.”

“Fine, if I start will you share?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’m going to start with a little one.”

“Okay.”

“When you would tease me and wouldn’t just shut up about it and I couldn’t find any other way to shut you up I used to imagine kissing you in front of everyone just to get you to shut up.”

“That’s not so much a sexual fantasy as a…”

“What came after was.”

“What?”

“Yeah, generally it included me grabbing you by the tie and dragging you into your office, pushing everything off the desk and riding you until I came.”

“Really?” His eyebrows had risen a good three inches.

“Yup. Your turn.” She swigged her beer.

“Okay,” Josh sighed, “You are sitting at your desk in the bullpen. It’s late. You’ve put your hair up. There’s no one around. You rub the back of your neck. I come over and start rubbing your shoulders and you make a little moan. I bend over and I start to kiss the nape of your neck.”

“Oh, I would have really liked that.”

“Yeah, and then I turn you around in your desk chair and we start to kiss and, well, it pretty much would go the same as yours except we did it on your desk, not mine.”

“Great, thanks for messing up my desk.”

“Hey, in your fantasy you messed up my desk.”

“But your desk was a mess to begin with.” She smiled and then went back to the topic. “I used to imagine I was tying you bow-tie for an event and you would lean in and kiss me.”

“I had that one too. It ended up with you up against the door of my office, your dress hiked up around your waist and your legs wrapped around my hips.”

“After Rosslyn,” she paused, gauging his reaction, “when I was taking care of you I had a whole bunch of Florence Nightingale fantasies.”

“I had a dream where you gave me a sponge bath.”

“What happened.”

“I don’t really remember, but when I woke up I had a raging hard-on and I knew you were asleep on my sofa. I was tempted to call you in and ask you to take care of it. Of course I didn’t”

“What did you do?” She smiled.

“I, uh, took care of it myself.”

“Oh, with me in the next room?” He nose wrinkled.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t wake up.”

“Oh.”

“It was my first since the…since that day.”

“Well, I’m going to take that as flattering then.”

“I should think so. That’s not an unimpressive thing, to get a guy all excited a month after major heart surgery.”

“I had a similar dream after the Codel actually.”

“Was it nice?”

“Very. But you were not in the next room.”

“I also had a few where we both were in the bath together.”

“Me too.” She said wistfully.

“Hey, you wanna go back to the room?”

“Well, we do have a pretty nice sized bathtub.”

\- - - - - - - 

On the way back to the hotel Donna decided to broach another topic.

"Josh, you know, I, um, I have our protective needs all taken care of, right?"

"You hiding a secret service agent on you somewhere, because, with  
that skirt and shirt combo I'm not sure where…"

"I mean birth control."

Josh stopped walking.

Donna continued, "I mean I was thinking, if we were in a bathtub it might not be very conducive to…well…certain things if we were to be using a condom and we might want to do those certain things and all I'm saying is that if you want to keep using a condom that's fine, but we shouldn't be using one because of the pregnancy reason, because I've got that one covered." She looked up and smiled, "did that make any sense?"

He smiled back, a huge grin spreading across his face, "Yeah, you know, I had a check-up right before I went to run the Santos Campaign and I had a clean bill of health. I had all the blood work done and everything."

"What about since then."

"Donna, before you, I hadn't been with someone in so long, I'm pretty sure there were cobwebs on me."

"Me too," she sighed.

"You still had me beat."

"Yeah, I know. I'm clean though."

"You checked after sleeping with a photojournalist, right? Because..."

"Jooosh!"

"Sorry. Couldn't stop myself." Josh grabbed both of Donna's hands and looked into her eyes. He searched her face, smiling, "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"I think it means that we can throw out the rest of the condoms."

With that, Josh kept hold of one of Donna's hands and began walking again, this time more quickly and efficiently. He was going to get to that hotel room as fast as he possibly could.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They tripped back into the room, he was tickling her and she was giggling.

Donna ran into the bathroom and turned on the tap for the tub. She poured in some more of the complementary bath salts that came with the room and then went to fetch the four candles she had purchased on her shopping trip that morning. She hadn't actually purchased them for this purpose, but she figured it was an appropriate time. She laid them out on the sink counter in the bathroom and then lit them, then turned off the bathroom light.

Josh had gone into the room and undressed. He was naked now as he walked into the bathroom. He noticed two things when he got there, the candles and that Donna was not naked.

"You know, when you do fantasy, you go all out. But there is one little problem with this scenario."

"What?" she asked, attempting not to look down at his…nakedness. She still hadn't gotten used to him being naked around her. She liked it. She just wasn't used to it.

Josh approached her and started to unbutton her shirt, while staring her in the eyes.

"Oh." She smiled, and started to help him.

"No, I want to do it."

He finished unbuttoning her top and let it drop off her shoulders. He unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor. She kicked it aside. She had already removed her sandals and now she stood in front of him in only her bra and underwear. In some ways she felt more vulnerable than being naked.

He pressed his lips against hers, his mouth soft and closed. Now he opened his mouth a little, sucking in her bottom lip, nibbling it. His tongue ran on the inside of her mouth, probing it. While working on her mouth with his own he had managed to get his hands around to unhook her bra. He actually had been pretty pleased, he got it unhooked on the second try. Donna, meanwhile, had been so preoccupied with the long, slow kiss, she hadn't even noticed that her bra had become unhooked until she felt Josh removing the straps from her arms and the bra slipped to the floor.

Josh disengaged his mouth and moved his head down, kissing her neck, her chest and her breasts. He took her nipple in his mouth and teased it, wetting it and then removing his mouth and blowing, ever so slightly, until the nipple was erect and sensitive.

While he allowed his tongue to play with her nipple he placed his hands in the elastic of her underpants and slipped them down to the floor. He then moved his head back up to her own. They were both naked now. Surrounded by candle light, their eyes locked. He went to kiss her again, this time more urgently, his hands caressing her body, his erection pressing against her belly. Her knees becoming ever weaker as she placed one hand on the sink counter to keep herself upright. She used the other hand to explore his face, now his chest, now his abdomen, and finally she brushed against his penis.

"Donna," he broke away gasping, and looked at her pleadingly.

"I think the tub is ready." She whispered.

He grabbed her again and kissed her gently as he maneuvered her over to the tub. She leaned over and turned off the water. Neither one of them got in.

Josh was staring into Donna's eyes, placing tiny kisses on her lips, he jaw, her neck. "So," he whispered, "logistically what do you see happening."

Donna cracked up. She realized they had been so excited about fulfilling a fantasy that they had never actually discussed the fantasy except that it would involve a bathtub. After she had stopped giggling she smiled at him, pointed to one end and said, "I'd start on that side," then pointed to the other end, "you'd start on that side," she trailed a finger down his chest, "and then we would meet in the middle."

"Really?" His smile becoming wide now, "because that's not how I saw it at all."

"How did you see it?"

"I saw you and me on the same side, nestled a little like spoons."

"Hmmm." She said, considering, while still tracing his nipple playfully with her finger.

"So let's try it my way."

"Why your way?" she looked at him seductively.

"Because if it turns out what I have in mind isn't feasible we'll still have your way. On the other hand, if we try yours first and it isn't feasible, then you'll pout."

"You know, you're totally ruining the mood right?"

"If we do it my way I bet I can get you back in the mood." And he began to kiss her gently again, slowly trailing his hand down her back. Her arms wrapped around him as she began stroking his back as well. They stood there that way, just kissing and exploring each other's skin. Finally Josh broke free and stepped into the bathtub. He held his hand for her and she stepped in as well. Her back was to him as he sat down, then she did, his legs wrapping around her. She leaned back against him and relaxed, allowing the warm water to surround her.

Josh began to kiss the side of her neck, his left hand found her breast just bobbing on the surface as his right hand began stroking her hip. The steam from the water was making her sweat, as was the constant motion of Josh's lips and hands rubbing against her back, her neck, her belly, her hip and now, oh, her vaginal lips. So close to her clit, but not touching it. She felt his hardness against her back and attempted to turn around, but he held her forward in his arms, "No, this is all me. It's my fantasy." So she stayed still, or as still as she could with his constant touches, the heat of the bath and the steam heightening all her senses.

Josh whispered in her ear, "do you trust me?"

She bit her lip and nodded. She was fairly certain that if his next sentence had involved overthrowing President Bartlet and installing a Republican President she would have done it.

"Good. I need you to help me with the next part of the fantasy."

He lifted her up from the bath and bent her over, placing her hand on the safety bar next to the tub. He then placed his fingers inside of her, his thumb ever so gently sliding over her clit so she moaned. He made sure she was lubricated with her own juices and slowly penetrated her. She knew it was coming but still gasped.

He leaned over and whispered, "remember to trust me."

He placed his own arm on the safety bar and another on the lip of the tub.

"Okay, try to stay with me."

She nodded again, biting her lip.

He pushed her legs forward with his own, while using his upper body to lower them back down into the water. They finally landed, with a bit more force than he would have liked (although she gasped), and water had splashed out of the tub dampening the floor of the bathroom, but in the exact position he wanted, her impaled upon him.

"You okay baby?"

"Yes." It was the first time he had used an endearment during sex.

Before, when she had been in front of him, he had a little difficulty reaching around in front to touch her. Now that she was essentially on his lap, he had easy access. She gasped and rocked forward. Her hips continued to move back and forth against his gently probing finger-tips. His other hand caressing her beasts and then he began to speak. Lower than his normal range, rough even, asking her if she liked it, asking her if it felt good, probing for answers as his fingers kept probing. She felt the pressure building up as he kept asking her how it felt, begging for her reply, telling her how good she felt and how he had wanted to do this for so long and how beautiful she was and she couldn't take it any more. She cried out as she came, his arms wrapped around her torso so he couldn't slip out and with her orgasm came his orgasm as he cried her name.

He released her and she slipped off of him. He lay back, panting and she lay on top of him, doing the same.

"Your fantasy was much better." She finally said.

"I told you."

And then the phone rang.

"Sam's late." She said.

"Yeah."

"You'll call him back."

"Yeah."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They spent another 20 minutes in the bathtub, just soaking. He held her closed and she sank into his arms. They got up, rinsed off together in the shower quickly and then threw on the hotel robes. Josh padded into the room and picked up the phone. The message light was blinking.

“Hey Josh. Things are fine here. We’ve narrowed down the short list on some of those cabinet positions, we’ve received a few acceptances and I’ve filled in a lot of staffing positions. Lou’s going to trail Will tomorrow for a few hours, C.J. set it up. We’ve decided on Baker. I know that’ll make you happy, but we don’t want to announce until we can figure out how to get him through the Senate and we’re going to wait until you come back to do it anyway. Give my best to Donna. I’ll leave you another message tomorrow.”

Josh thought about how tired Sam sounded. He went to dial the phone. Otto answered.

“Sam Seaborn’s office.”

“Hi Otto, is he in? It’s Josh.”

“Hi Josh.” Otto sounded surprised, “Um, he’s interviewing someone right now…”

“Right, tell him I need to speak with him.”

“Okay, I’ll let him know.”

Josh looked up at Donna guiltily, “Otto.”

“You said.”

Sam picked up. “Hey Josh, I’ve actually got someone in with me right now.”

“That’s great Sam. I need to talk to you about some ideas I had about Baker. Kick whomever it is out.”

“Hang on.”

Sam put Josh on hold for a few minutes. Donna had moved onto the patio and had gone back to reading her book. Josh found the remote and had just gone to turn on CNN when Sam came back on the line.

“Let me talk to Donna.”

“Hunh?”

“Before I talk to you, I want to talk to Donna. Is she there or has she left you already?”

Josh placed the phone against his chest, “DONNA!”

She didn’t move.

“DONNA!”

“Are you yelling Josh!?” She yelled back.

“YES!”

And then nothing.

“Hang on Sam.” He said into the phone and got up to fetch Donna. He walked onto the patio. “Donna, Sam’s on the phone and he wants to speak with you before he speaks with me.”

“Okay. Now wasn’t that simple.”

“No.”

Ignoring him, she stood up and walked over to the phone. “Hi Sam.”

“Wow, some things don’t change.”

“I know. Even if you hope they will. The difference is now if he doesn’t stop it I can do a lot more to him than ‘lose’ a briefing memo for fifteen minutes.” She looked at Josh and grinned. He raised his eyebrows at her in response.

“So should I speak to him about work?”

“Yeah Sam, it’s okay, I gave him a little break from the vacation today, he’s been really good otherwise. You should listen to him about Baker. I think he has the beginnings of some good ideas. He’ll probably start to flesh them out in the next few days when I give him other vacation breaks.”

“Wait, you’re giving him vacation ‘breaks’?”

“Yes. I think he would go a little nutty if he wasn’t allowed to focus on work at all. But he’s been good and the moment he starts to focus on it more than he should you can be sure I’ll cut him off.”

“Make him go cold turkey?”

“Yep. I’ll hand you back to Josh.”

Donna went back out onto the patio to continue reading her book in the afternoon sun. She could hear little snippets of Josh and Sam’s discussion of the ideas Josh had about Baker’s confirmation, throwing in an idea about the President-Elect asking a Republican for a quick confirmation and then turning the tables by really having Baker be the nominee. Apparently Sam started asking why they couldn’t just put Baker on the electoral college ballot and Josh started to yell and that’s when Donna came back into the room.

“Hand me the phone.”

Josh stopped in mid sentence and looked up at her. “Sam, hang on a minute,” he said into the phone. He place it against his chest and looked at Donna, sighed, and handed her the phone.

“Sam, does the Baker thing need to be settled in the next four days?”

“No.”

“Okay, then stop arguing with him. Think about what he’s saying, and tell him you’ll talk to him tomorrow. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Donna handed the phone back to Josh and went back out onto the patio.

“Wow, I forgot Donna can be like that.” Said Sam.

“Has been for nine years.”

“Yeah. Interesting how it fits better now that she’s actually, you know, you’re girlfriend.”

“We…she’s not.”

“Not your girlfriend?”

“We haven’t discussed it.”

“I’m sorry? I don’t understand. What’s to discuss about calling the woman you’re sleeping with your girlfriend?”

“It hasn’t come up.”

“I see.”

Donna’s voice carried from the patio. “Say goodbye to Sam already or no newspapers tomorrow!”

“I’ve got to go now Sam.”

“I can’t believe you don’t think she’s your girlfriend”

“Sam! I’m hanging up.”

“Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Josh got off the phone and walked out to the patio. Donna was sitting in a chair, still in the robe, reading her book. He leaned over and let his lips graze her cheek.

“Thanks.”

“For what?” she asked, not looking up.

“For letting me watch CNN, for letting me work this morning, for letting me discuss work with Sam and also for the tub, you know, thing. Thank you for all of it. This wouldn’t have been much of a vacation without you.” He sat down next to her.

Donna put her book on her lap and looked over at him. “I knew after two days of nothing it would be counter productive to not let you work. So, I’m going to let you work just enough not to have an anxiety attack. You were starting to take the whole Baker thing too seriously with Sam, which is why I put the kibosh on it.”

“Besides, I don’t have the ideas fleshed out yet.”

“Well, tomorrow, we’ve got the volcano thing, and then we’ll come back here and we can work a little. I’ll help on solidifying ideas for Baker.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. You’ve worked hard too. You deserve a vacation. As much as I would love your help on Baker, and you need to know that I would love the help, I don’t think you should sacrifice your rest on account of me. It’s not your idea of relaxation. I get that. So thank you, but no.”

“Respectfully.” 

Josh grinned, “Yeah. Respectfully.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Donna had surprised Josh with some of the items she had purchased on her shopping trip. A few new things for her, and for him. He was now the proud owner of a linen shirt, a Hawaiian shirt that seemed less gaudy then most of them, and a new pair of white pants. Everything fit perfectly. He didn’t know why he had been surprised by that, but he was.

He had dressed in his new attire and Donna had joked that all he needed was a puka shell necklace. They had gone to dinner at a nice restaurant in town. The concierge had made reservations. It was more elegant than he had expected, but his attire turned out to be acceptable and he was happy. He couldn’t imagine being in D.C. dressed like this in a restaurant like this. He would have been in a suit. It made him smile.

Donna’s purchases for herself had really been the best gift to him, however. She had purchased a very simple lavender dress. It had spaghetti straps and was cut straight across the top of her breasts. Six purple ribbons chris-crossed over her abdomen and the skirt flared out and ended at her knees. She had also purchased some shoes to match. Lavender backless things that had little heels. They made her legs look amazing.

So now they sat at dinner enjoying the nice food, some nice wine, some lovely piano music and what Josh felt was a not so comfortable silence. The first one of the vacation. He didn’t like it and decided to break it.

“You know what’s odd about this?”

“What’s odd about this?”

“It’s not.”

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s not odd. I mean it is odd, but this vacation. I don’t really know,” his hands nervously rubbed through his hair, “it’s just, easy I guess.”

“Vacations are supposed to be easy. That’s kind of the point.”

“But it’s not just the vacation. This,” he indicated the two of them, “this is easy.”

“This has always been easy.”

“No, It hasn’t.” 

“You were mad at me.”

“I was.”

“Not rightly.”

“You left.”

“I had no choice. Can you honestly tell me it wasn’t the right decision?”

“No.” He said reluctantly.

“Right, because if I had stayed I would have followed you to the Santos campaign and I would have continued as your assistant and this,” she indicated the two of them, “wouldn’t have happened.”

“Hell, President-Elect Santos wouldn’t have happened. We would now be preparing for President-Elect Vinick.”

“I’m sorry?” 

“What?”

“Why wouldn’t we have President-Elect Santos?”

“Donna, did it ever strike you as odd that I left the White House so quickly after you left and yet never mentioned Santos too you.”

“I assumed it was something that had been in your head for a while and that you had just never mentioned it to me. I figured that’s why you kept canceling lunch. And when you went to start the Santos campaign I just assumed that it was another one of those things you thought of that you just didn’t discuss with me. You would have once, but you didn’t anymore. There was a lot of stuff like that at the time. Ever since I had gotten back from the Codel actually.”

“Did you hear any of the jokes about me leaving because I was unable to find an assistant who could work with me after you left?”

“Yeah, why?” 

“Because, although that’s not how I would have put it, they were actually true.”

“I’m confused. You left because you didn’t like the temp?”

He sighed and took another swig of wine, not really tasting the liquid as it went down his throat. “Think about what that time was like for me Donna. I had finally sent you to do something more important and I had almost gotten you killed. Then Leo had a heart attack. Then C.J was made Chief of Staff, not me. Oh, and she was the right person for that job, not me, but that’s not the point. I was the laughing stock of D.C. politics, she leapfrogged over me to get that position and I knew it. It wasn’t fun anymore. But you were there. I didn’t really know that until you left, but every day I could wake up and think, ‘at least Donna will be there.’”

He went back to his wine and contemplated the glass, then took another drink.

“And then you weren’t and there was no reason for me to be there. Sam was gone, Leo was only back in an advisory capacity, it wasn’t his show anymore. Leo had told me to go find my guy, and I had, but I wasn’t going to do anything about it. Then, as soon as I realized you weren’t going to be there, there was nothing stopping me from going. So I left.”

Donna was silent. She had no idea that this was what transpired. It had never occurred to her.

Josh continued, “So, you were the proverbial nail without which the kingdom was lost.”

“Well,” Donna paused, “I had no idea. Don’t tell Mrs. Santos, I might have my job offer rescinded if she knew.”

Josh laughed. He felt like he just poured his soul out to her and she made a joke. But it was a good joke, and just the right amount of levity to make him feel a little better.

“But see, this is what I mean by this doesn’t feel odd,” he began again, “I mean, this sort of feels like the way it used to be. But things have changed dramatically.”

“You really think they have?”

“You don’t?” His brow rose again.

“Not really.”

“Really, because if I knew you would have been fine with the bathtub thing before…”

“Josh! Seriously though, what’s different, aside from the whole sex thing. It’s still us.”

“The whole sex thing makes it very different.”

“How?”

“It just does.”

“Why? How does it change the way we talk to each other or think of each other’s opinions or laugh at each others jokes?”

“Because it always does.”

She paused before responding. He wasn’t getting it. If this week was to really work. If this was to really happen, she needed him to understand.

“Okay,” she began, “let me try another tact, and please bear with me. You had known Amy for a long time before you dated her right?”

“I knew her in college. And I knew her from around.”

“And do you think, if you had known her better before you slept with her that your relationship would have been better and you would have stayed with her?”

“No.”

“So was it the sex that screwed that up?”

“No.”

“What was it then.”

“It was who we are, it just didn’t work.”

“Right. And we work. We always have. The sex isn’t going to screw that up. I think we’ve proved that we can do that all on our own.”

And with that the entrees arrived and the topic was dropped.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They returned from dinner and got undressed. Donna in her pajamas and Josh in his boxers. He didn’t wear an undershirt. He lay on the bed and she curled up around him. He turned on the news and they watched. Her hand on his chest, his arm around her back. He stroked her methodically and about an hour later they were still in the same position, only Donna had dozed off. 

She lay in the crook of his arm, breathing steadily. Her nose and cheeks still pink from the sun the previous day. He thought about the conversation from dinner. Why should it change anything? What was different? Nothing, he thought, except the sex. But he wanted it to be different. He wanted it to be more. He had always wanted there to be more in his relationships. Yet with all the discussions and the arguments and the sex it never was more than two people with mutual respect for each other, or eventually no respect for each other, who had sex. He had wished, at the time, it could be more. He had told women he loved them. But he didn’t think he had told them the truth anymore. He had never looked at any of them sleeping and felt his heart skip a beat before.

And here he was, his third day in Hawaii, with Donna by his side and he just wanted to tell her, tell her how he felt, tell her how important she was, tell her how much she meant to him. But she was asleep. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“I know you’re asleep Donna, but I want to let you know I love you. Maybe someday I’ll be able to tell you when you’re awake, but right now, the best I can do is when you’re asleep. So I love you.”

It felt good to say it, even though he knew she hadn’t heard.

Quietly Donna’s voice sleepily replied. “I love you too Josh. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

Josh’s heart started to beat wildly. What the hell had he just done. There was no way he would sleep tonight.


	4. Day 4

What was the problem? Why was he panicked? He parsed it out in his mind after fitfully sleeping for a few hours. It wasn't that he said it. It was true, had been true for a long time. It had almost been a relief to say it, stupidly, when she was asleep. He had hoped it would be practice for the following day when he would really say it to her. Not some trite 'I thought you were asleep' thing.

And it certainly wasn't that she had said it back. He knew she would. She had already said it once, the night before. He knew she would respond that way.

No. He realized there was something else going on. He was tempted to call his shrink. He hadn't talked to the guy in probably two years, he had been busy, but he couldn't figure out why he was so panicked. Josh looked at the clock. 5:04 am. He was now fully awake, jittery even. He didn't want to wake her, she needed her sleep. He quietly got up, changed into his running stuff from the day before, slipped it on, and went down to the gym to run on the treadmill. It was still dark out and the running paths would be dangerous.

He got himself down to the gym and started running. It had only been two days, but working out again was good. It gave him time to think, time to compose himself.

He had thought about her all night. Contemplated and analyzed what it was about her that he loved. He had diagnosed that the idea of being in love with her, and her being in love with him was not the problem. If Donna had been a bill that needed to be pushed through congress, or a campaign to win, or an agenda to be implemented, he would have been the guy. But this was about a relationship. That was something he was not good at.

She was right. The next four, possibly eight years if they played their cards right, were going to be exciting but brutal. Leo hadn't managed to do it, have a marriage and be Chief of Staff and Leo was, or had been, a far better man then he.

And suddenly he realized that was the crux of the problem. His problem certainly wasn't that he loved her or that she seemed to love him (although he couldn't figure out why). The problem was what happened if they failed, or, more to the point, if he failed her. He would disappoint her and she would leave. The thought of actually losing her, again, was unbearable.

He had been running for forty minutes and could barely breathe. He stepped off the treadmill and tried to catch his breath. He thought of that quote by, who was it? Butler, he though, "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all" and he just wasn't sure that was really true.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Josh got back to the room Donna was still asleep, which was understandable. It wasn't even 6am.

He showered and shaved, letting the hot water glide over him and soothe his muscles which ached from both the running and the sex. His thigh muscles had been sore for two weeks already. He just wasn't used to all the sex. Not that he was complaining or anything. He got out of the shower and dried himself off, wrapped the towel around his waist and went back into the room. The cold air felt good against his skin. He finally felt sleepy. He lay back onto the bed, without actually getting under the covers, reached out his arm so he could touch Donna as she slept and drifted off into a deep sleep.

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

Donna woke up around 7am. She looked over at Josh whom she noted was finally asleep. Donna was not a sound sleeper and knew that he spent most of the night tossing and turning and not sleeping. She had only slept well herself for the past two hours. But they needed to get up to go on the volcano tour in two hours, he had promised. Josh was on his back, his mouth wide open, a towel barely draped around his waist. It was almost comical.

She silently went to the bathroom and showered and got herself ready for the day. When she returned, also wrapped in a towel, she noticed that Josh had closed his mouth but was still sleeping on his back and the towel had definate tent like proportions.

She felt the distinct tug in her abdomen, her muscles started to contract on their own. She looked at the clock. 7:23. She had time. She removed the towel around her body and then opened the towel around his waist. He wasn't 100% hard, but he was pretty far gone. She gently spread his legs a little and lay down between them.

Her hand explored his dick, his balls and his ass. There were some kinky things she thought about trying, but she wasn't going to do it now, while he was asleep. Instead she just decided to see how far she could get him going before he woke up. He fingers gently tickled his balls. No reaction except his dick got somewhat harder. She slowly traced her finger up from underneath the base of his penis lightly, up to the tip. Using her index finger she circled the tip. After about a minute he was totally hard. She scooted herself up and gently held his balls in her left hand, continuing to stroke them. She ever so gently took the tip of his penis in her mouth and circled her tongue around it. A small moan came from him mouth. She looked up, but he was still asleep.

She moved from between his legs and moved next to him. She bent down so that her lips gently touched his nipple. Her hand again going down to his penis where she began stroking him. He began breathing more heavily in his sleep. She was getting incredibly turned on. She flipped herself around once again, so her head was now next to his penis and her legs were bent on the pillows at the top of the bed. She gently took him into her mouth and began to suck, deep throating him a few times. She heard him gasp and he rolled over onto his side, now facing her. 

"What, oh, what are you, oh yeah, doing?" She heard him ask.

"Shhhhh," was her reply.

And then he did something unexpected. He used his free arm to separate her thighs and suddenly his head was between her legs. His tongue finding her already swelled clit easily and circling it, his free hand stroking her inner thigh.

She couldn't concentrate on what she was doing. Her previous performance in the shower not withstanding, it took some concentration to use her considerable skills. Her mouth left his penis as she made a soft mewling sound.

Using his freer position now Josh rolled her on her back and lay on top of her, taking control of the situation, his dick still inches from her face. She took him in her mouth again and started to suck and lick (although she still couldn't concentrate enough to take all of him as he now pounded her clit with the flat part of her tongue. As her hips bucked spontaneously he increased the speed of his tongue over her clit and soon she was crying out, or as best she could, with his penis in her mouth. The vibration from the sound was ecstasy for him.

"I want to be inside you." He said when her orgasm was finished and she had gone back to her ministrations.

She let go and flipped herself over, looking him straight in the eye. Her chest was still heaving from the incredible point she had been brought to just moments before. 

"Josh, I want you to fuck me."

He slid into her easily and held it for a moment, allowing her to get used to him. She wanted none of it. She moved her hips with as much force as she could muster. "Fuck me." She asked again.

And now he was slamming against her and she was slamming against him, the full force of their bodies colliding and she began to grind into him now, screaming as her walls compressed and messaged his dick. One more thrust and he came too, collapsing on her with a highpitched shriek.

He rolled on his back and she rolled on top of him, kissing his chest, working past his neck until she got to his lips. There was no morning breath, she only tasted herself.

"Good morning." She said quietly.

"No kidding."

"I wanted to give you a reason to wake up. I know you didn't sleep well last night."

"I had a lot to think about."

"And you can think about it later because we only have an hour to get ready to go on the volcano tour."

"I'm a man. How long do you think it'll take me to get ready?"

"That's not the point."

"Besides, I think we should just stay here, we can talk about, what was said last night, you know, when I thought you were asleep."

She perched her head on his chest so she was looking up at him in the eyes.

"Josh, this is the fourth day I have been in Hawaii and do you know what I have seen. A hotel room. And some restaurants. And I spent an afternoon on the beach. I'd like to tell people I actually did something. It might cut down on the snickering."

"The snickering?" His eyebrows went up.

"What do you think is going to happen when we get back? Everybody knows you left for a vacation. Everybody knows I left for a vacation. They're not stupid you know. So when I get back and, I don't know, Edie comes up to me and says, 'Oh Donna, how was your vacation?' with that stupid 'I bet you were boinking like bunnies' look on her face, I can say, 'Great Edie, I went and did a three hour hike around the Haleakala Volcano water falls.' Instead of, 'fine, the hotel was really nice.' If I say the latter, it will only confirm the boinking."

"Well, the latter is true, isn't it?"

"Yes. You're a politician, what has that got anything to do with it?"

"Good point."

"So, I'm going to clean myself up a little bit and dry my hair, which is a damp, matted mess by now, and then you can take a shower and put on some good walking clothes and then we might have time to pick up some breakfast and coffee before they pick us up at 9."

"'Kay. Wait. Three hour hike?"

"It's easy." Donna said, getting up and moving towards the bathroom.

"Yeah," Josh said under his breath, "but I got almost no sleep last night and I've already had two work outs today and it's not even quite 8am."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The hike had been lovely. They had purchased a few pastries and some coffee to go and ate and drank while on the bus. The waterfalls and the landscape had been breathtaking. Josh was actually glad Donna had made him go. They had gotten back on the bus around 1pm for the 20 minute ride back to the hotel. Josh had closed his eyes immediately, but Donna was wide awake and was planning on getting Josh to admit that she had a good idea in going on the hike. The bus started but before she could poke Josh the man across the aisle tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, um, I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but my wife here is sure she knows you from somewhere. Are you from Cincinnati?"

Donna smiled and she noticed Josh smile too. He didn't open his eyes, he just smiled.

"No, I'm from Madison, Wisconsin," she offered to the man, "I live in Washington, D.C. now. I've been on television quite a bit recently however. That may be why I look so familiar."

"Oh." the man looked over at his wife, trying to see if that helped her.

"That's where I've seen you from, the news!" The man's wife announced, "You had something to do with the presidential campaign -- who was it that you work for?"

"President-elect Santos." She smiled graciously.

"That's right." Said the man. "I voted for Vinick."

Donna glanced at Josh, his eyes were still closed and she saw the smile instantly depart from his face. She turned back to the couple.

"A lot of people did." She was gracious. "But President-elect Santos will do a terrific job for the country. I expect you'll be pleasantly surprised and will vote for him in four years when you see what a good job he does."

"Not likely," the man's wife said, "Bob's been a Republican since 1988. Doesn't want his taxes raised or to have his gun taken away by you liberals."

Donna placed her hand on Josh's knee and continued speaking with the couple, hoping her touch would calm him down a bit. She knew that the last thing she wanted was Josh making a scene.

"Well," she began, "I appreciate that, but Matthew Santos has no interest in raising taxes or taking your guns away. Unless you use a sub-machine gun to hunt. You don't, do you?"

"No." The man replied.

"Then hopefully you'll give President-elect Santos a chance. Thank you for voting, regardless of who you voted for." Only Donna could make this line sound sincere and convincing. 

Josh mumbled, just loud enough for Donna to hear, "but you should be voting Democrat you stupid gomer."

"Josh..." Donna leaned over warningly.

His eyes opened briefly. He smiled at her, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"You better."

"You handled that well you know."

"Better than you."

Josh closed his eyes again, "I don't know about that."

Donna sat back and looked out the window. "I do."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They had picked up some sandwiches on the way in. When they got back to the room Josh collapsed on the bed and Donna used the bathroom. When she came out she looked at the fact that he still had his sneakers on their newly made bed.

“Josh, don’t you think you should take the sneakers off?”

And nothing. He was out.

She walked over to the bed and untied his shoes gently. He stirred as she removed the shoes. “Donna, just five more minutes, then we can play.” He mumbled.

Even in sleep his ego still swelled.

“Shhhh…I’m just removing your shoes. Go back to sleep.” She placed the sneakers next to the bed.

“No. Want to take off socks.”

“I’ve got them. Go to sleep.”

“mmm’kay” he rolled over.

She removed his socks and went to use the phone extension in the bathroom to call Sam.

“Josh Lyman’s office.” Otto answered.

“Hi Otto, it’s Donna. Is Sam there?”

“Sure, he was going to call Josh in about 20 minutes. I have it on the call sheet.”

“Yeah, take him off. I’ll talk to Sam now, then he won’t have to call later.”

“Hold on.”

Donna waited for a moment and Otto came back on the line, “Hey, he says he’ll be right with you, can you hang on a second?”

“Sure”

There was a pause.

“So. How’s the vacation?” Otto asked.

“Fine. Good. Very relaxing.” She smiled.

“So, you and Josh.”

“Yeah.”

”That’s kind of…unexpected.”

“Well, it was a little sudden. Otto, maybe you should check and see if Sam’s ready for me?”

“Hunh? Oh yeah. Right. He’s off the other line. Hang on.”

There was a pause and Sam picked up.

“Hi Donna.”

“Hi Sam. I’m just calling to say that Josh is asleep and so you probably shouldn’t be calling here and waking him up. If you can tell me if there is anything he needs to know, I’ll let him know. Okay?”

“Sure. I don’t think there’s anything going on that can’t wait. We’re still working on staffing most of the major positions. There are a few names that I want to run by Josh, but it’ll hold. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine.”

“How are you and Josh?”

“We’re okay.”

“Donna,I…never mind.”

“What Sam?”

“No, it’s not my place. Don’t worry about.”

“Really, Sam, you want to ask. Ask.”

“What’s going on between you and Josh?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed.

“Are you his girlfriend?”

“I don’t know Sam.”

“Because generally, when I take a woman to Hawaii, I consider her to be my girlfriend.”

“Right Sam. We haven’t talked about it.”

There was a pause. “You should really discuss it with him.”

“I know.” She had gone from resigned to annoyed. It was remarkable how Sam could do that sometimes.

“Okay. Because I’m just saying that…”

“Sam, you know how you said it was none of your business?”

“I didn’t actually say it was none of my business, I said it wasn’t my place. I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Yes.”

“Okay Donna. Have a great night. Tell Josh I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

And with that she hung up on Sam and went out to the patio to read some more of her book.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Josh woke up and looked at the clock. It was 4:15. He had been asleep a little less than three hours and felt human again. He flung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his face with his hands. Donna wasn’t around. He checked the patio. She wasn’t there. He wandered over to the bathroom. She wasn’t there either. While he was there he peed. He wondered where she could be? He wondered if his little comment this afternoon had angered her and made her leave. No, that was stupid, her suitcase was still here. So was her purse. So were her clothes. She would come back.

He yawned and scratched himself, free from the prying eyes of Donna. He realized he hadn’t been scratching himself when he was around her. He noticed a note on top of the mini-bar in her distinct penmanship.

“Your samdwick (okay, that was probably sandwich) is in the fridge if you’re angry (could be angry, but more likely hungry) when you wake up. I’ve gone down for a swan (most likely swim). Be back soup (that would be soon). – D”

He opened the mini-bar fridge and pulled out his sandwich and grabbed a beer. He then dug out the paper, the pens and the note cards that Donna got for him and put in the desk as well as his notes from the previous day and went outside to start working on as many different strategies for getting Baker through a confirmation in the Senate.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - 

Donna came back into the room a little before 5, still dripping from her swim in the pool, her beach towel wrapped around her. She saw Josh sitting on the patio working, his back facing her. She walked over to him. He was engrossed in what he was doing, so she quietly stood behind him and dripped her hair on him a few times until he noticed.

“What! Ack! Oh. Hi.” He smiled up at her.

“You have 15 minutes to get to a stopping place. Then we’re going to walk along the beach romantically. I’m going to take a shower.”

“Okay, but could you make it a half hour, I just need to…”

“No. You’ll make it fifteen minutes or fewer or you won’t get to work again.”

And with that she walked into the bathroom.

\- - - - - - - - - - 

Donna was dressed in a pair of Capri pants and a pink tank top. She wore only the barest about of make up and her wet hair was up in a clip. He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen her look lovelier. She had gotten herself together in 12 and a half minutes.

“I’m getting my shoes on now!” He whined as she stood over him disapprovingly. 

“I see that.”

“You said 15 minutes and it’s only been 13.”

“I know.”

“There. Ready.”

And they left the room. Josh looking like a bum, still covered with some of the dirt they had picked up on their hike, Donna looking pressed and polished as always.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They didn’t talk for a long time. They just walked along the beach, both holding their shoes.

“I’m not really sure why I put them on if all I was going to do was carry them” Josh mumbled, looking at his sneakers.

Donna took them from him, stuck his socks into the toes of the shoes, tied them to each other and draped them around his neck.

“Oh. I suppose I could have done that too.” Josh said.

“Yeah, but you would have never thought of it. So I did it instead.”

“You shouldn’t, you know.”

“I shouldn’t what?”

“You shouldn’t take care of me.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not my assistant anymore.”

“I know. What am I though?”

“Friend?”

“Friends do things for each other.”

“Friends don’t have sex with each other.”

“Depends on the friend, but generally no.”

“Nor do they say things in the middle of the night.”

“I used to talk to you in the middle of the night all the time. Generally when we were working.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?”

“You’re not making this easy for me you know.” He said, running his hands through his hair.

“That’s kind of the point.”

“I…what do you mean?”

“I’m not going to make this easy for you Josh. I’m not going to tell you what you’re supposed to feel, I’m not going to tell you what we are to each other. I’m not going to tell you where this is going. You need to figure that out and let me know.”

“Well that’s probably not a very good idea, is it?” He asked sarcastically.

“No. Probably not. But it’s the only way I know how to do this.”

“Which is what?”

“You tell me.”

“So, are you my girlfriend?” He asked abruptly.

“Do you want me to be?”

“I guess.”

“Well that’s a ringing sales pitch Josh. Your wooing skills are really stellar there.”

“I want you to be my girlfriend.” He said it more definitively that time.

“Why?”

“Because I’d like to continue the sex?” He grinned at her, flashing the dimples.

“I like the sex too. Girlfriend is a relationship position. It’s more than sex. Why else?”

“Because. Of the thing.”

“Generally I know what the thing is. Right now, not so much.”

“The thing I said last night.”

“Which you can only tell me when I’m asleep?”

“Yeah. That thing.”

“Why don’t you try saying it right now and see what happens?”

“Right now? Are you sure this is the best time?”

“I don’t know, we’re in the middle of a vacation, walking on a Hawaiian beach, the sun just beginning to set. Might want to take the risk there.”

“Jump off the cliff?” 

“So to speak.”

He looked at her sideways.

“I love you.” He both squeaked and croaked at the same time. Josh was not pleased at the strained sound of his own voice and he winced after he said it.

“I love you too Josh.”

“Will you be my girlfriend?” Again, not smooth.

Donna cracked up. “Sure, but only if I can wear your letterman jacket and talk about how we’re going steady in the girl’s bathroom.”

“What?”

“You sound like we’re in high school.”

“Well thanks Donna, because that was a fairly big step for me and I…” Josh was getting pissed.

She stopped walking and turned to him. “Stop.” She commanded.

He did.

“Yes, I will be your girlfriend and the reason I will be your girlfriend is because you love me and I love you. Okay.”

And he leaned into her and kissed her, the sand slithering into his toes as he wrapped himself around her. The shoes she still carried in her hand slipped onto the beach as she sank into his embrace.

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

If it had been up to Josh they would have dropped to the sand and had sex right there, on a secluded beach. As it was, although Josh was ready, willing and able to take Donna right there; Donna’s only somewhat cooler head prevailed and she gently convinced Josh that getting cited for public indecency was not a good way to start his new job as Chief of Staff to the President of the United States. She suggested that going back to the room first would be best for all concerned and he reluctantly had agreed.

But, although he couldn’t get to the room fast enough he kept having to stop her. Needing to touch her and kiss her. His hands roughly moving over her body.

They got into the elevator in the hotel. No one else got in so the spent the ride with her back pressed against his front, his hands cupping her breasts, his face buried in the side of her neck kissing it’s length.

They made there way into the room. The moment the door clicked shut he removed her top and then continued to provide tiny kisses along her neck and chest. She helped remove his shirt and they kissed on the lips again. His tongue probing her mouth, making delicious tingles up and down her spine.

It was interesting, she thought as he pressed her up against the wall, shirtless and panting a bit, the sense of languid urgency with which this was progressing. Needy, yet slow.

Over the past few weeks the sex had been varied and good, no, not good, exceptional, but this time it seemed different, the need, on his part, was less physical, more emotional. As if the moment he knew he had her emotionally he had to have her physically as well. He had to demonstratively show how he felt about her.

His hands unbuttoned her pants and she removed his shorts. There, standing in their underwear, he ran his fingers up and down her back, kissed her slowly and urgently and maneuvered her to the bed and assisted her down.

She removed his underwear and her own bra and he helped her out of her underwear. He placed kisses over the length of her body. She tried to reciprocate, but he kept dodging her. She would try to move to reach him and he would come back up, simply kissing her on the lips as his hands continued to explore her body.

Although nothing overt had been tried, no nipple pinches or anything more then the gentlest fondling Donna could feel herself getting excited. He breathing had quickened and she felt a moan escape her lips.

Josh took this as a cue. He opened her legs and felt her wetness. He gently slipped himself into her. And he held himself there, continuing to pepper her torso with kisses.

Slowly he began to pump, reaching his hand down to stroke her, his mouth continuing to place kisses on her neck and jaw and mouth. Now he whispered her name. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his back until she was clutching him to her, screaming his name, bucking against him. He stopped moving and waited for her orgasm to subside and then started to kiss her again, moving his hips slowly and rhythmically and she came again, and he stopped again, letting her fingernails dig into his back, letting him give her this intense, wonderful pleasure. She had never seen him so in control. Sex with him, even in the bathtub, had always been a little wild, a little rough. Thiswas soft and controlled. He began rhythmically rocking back and forth, his hand again reach down to stroke her, “No.” She put her hand between them and moved his hand back up. “You.” She looked in his eyes, pleadingly. She wanted to see him come. “I love you Donna.” He whispered gently into her ear as the control he had been working so hard to maintain finally began to crack. His movements sped up and suddenly he was bucking and screaming and she was gripping onto him, not wanting, never wanting, to let go. He came and collapsed on top of her, burying his face in her hair, stroking her arms and shoulders and repeating over and over and over “I love you, I love you, I love you.” Now the flood gates had opened he couldn’t say it enough.

And Donna felt like she was about to cry. This was a fantasy she hadn’t told Josh about. The one where they didn’t just have sex, they made love, and he told her he loved her. He had replicated it perfectly, without ever knowing about it. She didn’t want to cry, he would ask her why and she couldn’t really articulate it although she knew it was because for the first time in a long while she felt like someone cared for her and she knew she felt the same way. She would be crying simply from relief and she didn't think he'd really understand.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Unfortunately, no matter how wonderful the sex is, or how much you want to stay in bed forever, that moment comes where you realize you have to pee and you must eat. Josh and Donna hit that point about 15 minutes after they finished. Still glowing from sex they slipped their clothes back on (Josh actually put on jeans) and went down to the hotel bar which sold burgers and sandwiches. Josh and Donna ordered a few of them, Josh ordered some fries and they both ordered beers. The conversation at dinner was light and funny. Donna kept stealing fries and Josh let her. Until the conversation took a decidedly more serious turn.

“So, when did you first know?” Donna asked.

“Know what?”

“Know that you felt something for me other than simple friendship”

Josh was surprised.

“Where’s this question coming from?”

“Just curious.”

“Okay, well you know that thing you did in the shower yesterday, ‘cause it was at that moment…”

She rolled her eyes.

Josh got back on topic. “Seriously. I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“No. I was thinking about it this morning and I can’t pinpoint it. There was no one moment.”

“Really?”

“Look, you walked into my office, into my life, you were this beautiful, fresh faced, bright eyed, girl. I mean it was hard not to think about you as more than just an assistant because you were, are, gorgeous. But you were so young. And you needed everything explained to you. For the first couple years, I don’t know. I was a little smitten. I liked you. You antagonized me and begged for skis and Hawaiian vacations…”

“Which I finally got.”

“You did, yes. That Donntella Moss, not so much. You really have no idea how much you’ve changed. Regardless. I cared about you. I liked you. I think I loved you. But it was different.”

“If you say you loved me like a sister, so help me…”

“No,” he got quiet, “I didn’t. But…I don’t know.” He smiled. “When you dated I didn’t like it. Sam pointed it out to me years ago. But I thought I was just protecting your best interest. And the day you wore that red dress for the date. Wow. And then Jack Reese…”

“You helped me date Jack Reese!”

“I know, but I was not happy about it.”

“What about the second inauguration?”

“Yeah. I think that was the first time I ever thought about what we might be. Scared the shit out of me if you must know.” He paused, giving the thought some time to sink in. These really weren’t things he ever articulated. “Look, I spent so much time thinking about how I couldn’t behave and think about you that I’m not sure whether I actually thought about how I did feel about you. Even after you left. I knew that I missed you. I know it hurt every time I thought about you. But I don’t think it ever occurred to me to ask why I felt that way about you and not, say, Sam. So while I’m sure I’ve loved you for a long time, I’m equally sure I didn’t actually know I felt this way until very recently.”

“Very recently?”

“Well, we’re talking about two different things here. The first is when did I fall in love with you? I’m saying it’s hard to pinpoint. I loved you as a person the first day I met you. I think I started to fall in love after Rosslyn. I think I knew I couldn’t imagine my life without you when I flew to Germany. And I was pretty devastated when you left.”

He paused to pick at his dinner. She could tell there was more and didn’t interrupt.

“But when did I realized it? When did I think to myself, ‘oh crap I’m in love with Donna?’ Not until very recently. Not until after that first kiss. And wow was that a kiss. That kiss was everything I had ever imagined, but better. And you kissed back, which surprised me. And then you offered your room key, and that just totally threw me for a loop. That you wanted me as much as I wanted you. So I blew that. And I think it made me want to be with you even more. So I loved you from the beginning but I didn’t acknowledge that there were feelings beyond professional and friendship until about 6 weeks ago and I only admitted that it was love since yesterday.” 

“In the shower.” She grinned

“Not in the shower.” He threw a French fry at her. “What about you? Quid pro quo as you said. When did you first realized?”

“I think I figured it out long before you did. I of course had a mad crush on you when I first started working for you.”

“Of course you did.”

She ignored him and moved on.

“After Rosslyn, I think I knew it was more than just a crush. And then, with the PTSD I was so scared for you.”

“So it’s a love based on pity then?”

“It’s always been pity, there’s just been more to pity in recent years.”

“That’s why I love you. You’re great for my ego.”

“I don’t think there is any danger to your ego. I suspect we could annex your ego and make it another state.”

He grinned, “I’m all for that, a minimum of three more electoral votes to go into the Democrat column.”

“What makes you think that your ego wouldn’t want lower taxes and free access to guns?”

“There’s a thought that will keep me up nights.”

Donna changed the subject back, “Well, I’ve known for years. When I came back and you didn’t want me anymore, that hurt a lot.”

Josh reached across the table and took her hand, “You know that’s not true.”

“Well, it felt true. Then Lou hired me and you and I started to get along better and things started to go back to normal, although you didn’t look at me the way you used to. I missed those long lingering looks you used to give me, but I figured it would be okay. And then you kissed me. I hadn’t wanted to even hope at that point. We were always going to be the great ‘what if’ in my life. And once you kissed me I knew it couldn’t be ‘what if’ anymore.”

“You needed more, kind of like crack.” He grinned.

“Yes Josh, a painful addiction that leads to either death or rehab. You really want to put yourself in that category?”

“Maybe not.”

“Didn’t think so.”

“So, you’ve known for years. And I’ve know for a day.”

“No, you’ve known longer then that.”

"Yeah?"

“Because there is no way you would have flown to Germany on a moments notice in the middle of an international crisis for anyone but your Mom and me. And don’t think I didn’t figure that out then.”


	5. Day 5

Leo stood behind him while Donna stood in front. “Goodbye Josh” she said. “I love you.” And then she was gone. Again. Leo was there and looked at him. “Just like me.” He said. He was smiling that half smile that Leo could get when he was proud of you and pleased with something you had done. “Just like me.” And then Josh was clutching his chest and he couldn’t breath and then…

He woke with a start. It was 5:30 in the morning. He had been tangled up in Donna and she woke when he did. “Josh, are you okay?” She asked sleepily.

“Yeah baby, I’m fine. Go back to sleep.” 

“’Kay.”

It had just been a nightmare. It had just been a normal nightmare too, not like the ones that he used to have, that he still had occasionally. It was just a dream.

But it wasn’t. He knew it. He was just like Leo, all drive and determination and no time for a relationship. Jeez, Jenny didn’t even have a job and she was ready to dump Leo when his job was the most important thing in the world. How was he going to, how was he supposed to build a relationship, hell, a life, with Donna when she was going to be working…well…not as hard, but almost as hard as he.

And she seemed to need all this sleep. He only needed five or six hours a night but she regularly slept seven or eight. He would come home when she was asleep. He would wake up when she was asleep. He would never see her. 

And she would leave him. She had left him twice before. She would be unfulfilled. She would be a successful, beautiful woman in Washington, D.C. and he would be that guy who worked 18 hours a day for the President. Some congressman, or senator, or lobbyist (God forbid) would sniff around her and she would think, ‘well gee; Josh isn’t ever around, why not.’ And she would leave him.

Josh got out of bed and got his workout clothes and went down to the gym again. There was no way he was going back to sleep. He looked at Donna, twisted in the blankets, her hair splayed out on the pillows and he felt his heart break. There was no way this would work out. He would have to tell her.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

He went down to the treadmill to once again think about his situation. This was his third day in a row he had gone for a run and even though every muscle in his body ached, both from the regular aerobic activity of running and the other regular aerobic activity he had been doing. For the first time in years, he found that running in the morning gave him time to think in a good way.

So the dream, he thought as he began. What did it mean? Well, it was pretty obvious. It was obvious that he was scared Donna would leave him and that he would die. Just like Leo. He missed Leo, in the past several weeks he wished Leo had been there to talk to. Leo would have told him how to behave, what he should do. But Leo wasn’t there anymore.

So parse it out, he thought, figure out what the problem is and solve it. The first was pretty clear. He didn’t want Donna to leave him. And he figured out all of the reasons she would. She would leave him because he was selfish, because he was, what was the word? Monomaniacal. Because he couldn’t pay her enough attention and because she couldn’t be loved by him the way she should be. She would leave him because he had gotten old.

And even if she stayed, he thought, how long would he really be around. He was much older than she was. More than ten years her senior. He’d been shot in the chest. He ate crap. With the exception of this current week he never got enough exercise. His job was 100% stress, all the time, his blood-pressure was never good.

She might stay, out of duty or loyalty or pity, but sooner or later she would leave him. She would have no choice. And even if she didn’t, he would leave her, not out of choice but out of porr timing and poor health and age. It was beyond his control. Leo’s death made that painfully obvious to him.

He had to protect her from himself. He had to insulate her from him living her the way Leo had left him.

He would do what he had always done. He would throw himself into the work. He had to focus on President-elect Santos. He would tell her tomorrow that he had chosen his job over her. She would probably never forgive him, but it would be better for her, better for them and better for the country if he just broke it off now. She would get over it. She would find someone else. He knew he would never recover but it was better for her in the long run.

That’s what he kept telling himself.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He had worked out for an hour and when he got back to the room, two coffees in hand, she was awake and in the shower. He needed a shower too so he walked into the bathroom. He took off his clothes and got into the shower with her.

She was a little startled to see him.

“How was your workout?” She asked.

“Good.”

“Need to get clean?”

“Yes.”

Donna soaped up Josh’s back. He soaped her front. He wasn’t smiling, which she thought unusual, but he was apparently getting very excited again. So was she.

She rubbed the palms of her hands against his nipples and he gasped. She kissed him. He kissed her back hungrily. After a few more moments making out in the shower she turned him around, so his back was facing her. Her fingers trailed along the back of his spine into the crack of his ass. She gently poked him with her soapy finger.

“Donna.”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing?”

“Experimenting.”

“Stop.”

She inserted her finger, slowly sliding it in.

“No. Donna….ah.”

She gently took her finger and began stroking his prostate gland.

He began to gasp and convulse in a manner she had never seen before. She reached around and grabbed his suddenly totally erect penis.

“You doing okay Josh?”

“Ah….hunh?”

She took that as a yes.

He began to pump, back and forth, against her soapy hand, he started with little grunts and then went on the shrieks, all because she was stroking that little gland.

Josh, for his part, had read about this, but his generalize homophobia had kept him from this particular type of experimentation. Now he realized he didn’t know what he was missing. It was as if he was having tiny orgasm after tiny orgasm, the moment one subsided a new one would start and his body was racked with shudders and tingles he could never remember before. He would miss this.

After a few minutes she removed her finger and he turned around. He still, despite his highly aroused state, had not come. He turned on her and pounced. They fell out of the shower stall and tripped onto the floor, coming to rest against the sink counter. He roughly grabbed her breasts, leaning down to place a hard nipple in his mouth, his teeth teasing it, his hands went lower, feeling for her clit. Whether it was wet from the shower, the soap or her own juices she was wet and he didn’t care. He wanted to get her to moan in the ways he had been moaning. He wanted to return the kind of pleasure she had just given to him. 

“Josh…” She whispered.

His hand started working faster as his mouth went to place long, sucking kisses on her neck.

“C’mon Donna…come for me…” he whispered in her ear 

And she did. And before she was even done, he positioned himself under her, lifting one of her legs so that he could more easily enter her and slid into her as she was still quivering. He groaned.

He began thrusting with considerable force, grunting after each one. Slowly but with force behind it. He continued to press against her clit and with each upstroke he gasped.

“Oh Josh…” She moaned.

It seemed that her little experiment had made his lasting power greater than it would have otherwise been. As he pounded against her clit she started to feel herself shudder and a powerful orgasm came out. Fearing she couldn’t stand on her own anymore, her single leg still on the floor wrapped around his waist as she screamed his name and held on to him for dear life as she bucked against him.

He slammed her against the counter and thrust against her a few more times until his own orgasm came. He roared and then gasped, his own body convulsing against her now and he slid down to his knees, Donna still wrapped around him. They disengaged and lay on the cool bathroom tile for a few moments, simply catching their breath.

“Good Morning!” She smiled at him.

And he responded by kissing her, sucking at her bottom lip, touching her jaw, knowing that he only has a few days left to do this and it would all be over. That amazing week he spent in Hawaii with Donna is how he would look back on these moments. And he tried not to be sad, but he was feeling hollow inside.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - 

She had allowed him to bring work to the beach. It would give her an entire morning without him poking her or trying to get her to swim. She sat in her bikini, reading her book, drinking a virgin pina colada (it was too early for alcohol, even for vacation). The waves made lovely sounds that relaxed her, the sun shone on the beach. There was nothing to bother them, she had not a care in the world.

And she was bored. Really, really bored.

“What are you working on?” she asked.

“The Baker thing.” Josh responded absentmindedly.

“How many ideas have you come up with?”

“Two.”

“You’ve been working on this for days and you’ve only come up with two ways to get Baker through congress?”

“Yeah, but only for like a total of five hours Donna!” Josh whined.

“That’s…that’s actually kind of pathetic Josh.”

“Yeah.” Josh sighed.

“I mean really, really sad.”

“Okay, I get it. Thank you.”

“You sure you don’t want some help.”

“No. You’re on vacation, you should be relaxing.”

“I’ve very relaxed, and I want to help.”

“Okay fine. Give me a thought. How do we get Baker through a hostile Senate confirmation process and get him confirmed?”

“Well, let’s start with why can’t we just put Baker’s name on the nominating ballot and then we don’t have to worry about a sticky Senate confirmation? I mean I thought I heard that the lawyers had looked at it and it would be fine?”

“It would be fine, but it wouldn’t be right.”

“Because no one actually had to vote for Baker?”

“Except the electors, yes.”

“And it would look like we were slipping Baker past the congress and the American public.”

“And the congress. Exactly.”

“And not only that, but Leo’s name wouldn’t be on the ballot.”

Josh let his head drop. “Yeah.”

“You’re doing this out of some sense of tribute to Leo?”

Josh paused. There were many good reasons that he wanted the congress to approve of the vice-presidential appointee. There was also one lousy reason, and that was it. His head hung low. “I want to honor him. I mean I know that it’s actually the right thing to do. It’ll be better in the long run for us, but also yeah, I want the history books to show that Leo McGarry was elected as Vice President of the United States of America, and that he wasn’t replaced. That he couldn’t be replaced.”

Donna got up and slid herself on to Josh’s lounge chair. “You know, that’s just about the sweetest thing I ever heard.” She said. She leaned in and kissed him. “See, under all of that bravado you can be really sweet sometimes.”

And she hugged him, and he let her.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

They had an early lunch and then Josh discovered that Donna had booked them for an early massage. He was not pleased and he her know.

“What? You’re back is always bothering you. You’ll like it. It’s therapeutic.”

“So you’ve hired some strange person to rub lotion on me? I would rather have you rub lotion on me.” He wagged his eyebrows at her.

“I can do that later, but after our massages. I’m going to be getting a hot rock treatment and a seaweed wrap while you got back up to the room and talk to Sam. Then maybe you’ll take a nap or work on the Baker thing. By the time I get back you’ll be ready for me.”

\- -- - - - - - - - - 

The massage had been exactly what the doctor ordered. By the time Josh had gotten back in the room he was as relaxed as, well, he could be. He flopped down on the bed. It was almost time for Sam to call. He hadn’t talked to him for two days and he wanted to be briefed on the mess in Kazakhstan.

He lay on the bed trying to keep his mind clear of everything. A few minutes later the phone rang. Without opening his eyes he reached over and picked up the phone.

“Josh Lyman.”

“Did I wake you?”

“No. I’m awake Sam.”

“Okay, ‘cause you sound different. Satiated.”

“Donna made me get a massage.”

“Made you?”

“Yes.”

“Your girlfriend forced you to get rubbed down with lotions and oils?”

“Yes.”

“And she’s now your girlfriend.”

“Yes. For the time being.” Crap. He hadn’t meant to say that.

“What, you’ve been dating her for a day and now suddenly you’re thinking exit strategy? I knew you were bad at relationships but I always just thought it was your questionable taste in women. Now I’m just learning that your terrible taste in women was just a cover up for you being commitment phobic?”

“It’s not that…hey look, can we just discuss Kazakhstan and then I want to talk to you about Baker. I’m working this thing out with Donna myself, I don’t really need or want your input.”

Sam was silent. “Sure Josh,” he said quietly, “Hey, can I put you on hold for a second?”

Josh sighed, “Sure, I’ve got time.”

“When was the last time you ever said that?”

“I honestly can’t ever remember saying it.”

“Okay, be right back.”

Josh waited, starting to stew about how what he and Donna had was none of Sam’s business. Sam had always been too nosy and Josh was certain to give Sam an earful when he got back on the line. Josh had gotten his ire up. A few minutes later Sam returned.

“I’m back…”

Josh cut him off. “You know Sam, if I decided that this thing with Donna isn’t right or isn’t in her best interest or isn’t in my best interest or, hell, even if it isn’t in the country’s best interest it’s not up to you. It’s up to me and I would appreciate it if you would just butt-out.”

“What kind of screwed up logic is that?!” The voice on the other end of the line did not belong to Sam. Oh shit.

“C.J.?”

“Damn straight Skippy. What the hell is wrong with you? You guys finally get it together after nine years of this crap and now you’re going to screw it up over I don’t even know what! Do I have to fly out to Hawaii and kick your ass myself?”

“Sam, you couldn’t have told me C.J. was on the line?”

“You wanted to talk about Kazakhstan and I figured we needed C.J. on to discuss it. And it’s not as if I had the opportunity to tell you I had conferenced her in before you started to rant at me.” Sam sounded defensive.

“And let me tell you something else,” C.J. continued, “I certainly think that you owe it to Donna to discuss your thinking with her as opposed to informing her Josh. You’re not her boss, you’re her date. You don’t get to just play Neanderthal and bonk her on the head, drag her off to your cave, do your business and then send her away. I think she gets a little say in the conversation.”

Josh sighed a little. “Look you noisy, inconsiderate, loud-mouthed feminazi. I am fully aware that I will need to discuss the details of my issues with Donna Moss. I certainly don’t need you poking your nose around where it doesn’t belong. This is our issue and as such we will deal with it. Now you can either shut-up about it and brief me on what the hell President Bartlet and President-elect Santos are doing or we can end this conversation right now.”

C.J. sighed into the phone. “You feel a little better there after saying that?”

“Not really.”

“Good.” C.J. changed the subject back to Kazakhstan. “Sam and I have no idea what they’re doing, only that they’re obviously doing something, and they’re not letting us know about it and that’s the way they intend to keep it.” She paused and then continued. “And Josh, if you hurt her, I hurt you.”

“Thanks C.J., that’s a real warm fuzzy moment there.”

“I’ve got to go.” C.J. sounded tired.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t screw it up.” With that C.J. was gone.

“Thanks for the heads up Sam. I really appreciate the extra asshole I was just ripped by C.J. That just made my afternoon.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. It wasn’t what I had intended. I just wanted to get her to tell you what we had been discussing regarding Kazakhstan. I probably should have warned you.”

Of course it had been exactly what Sam had intended. Sam smiled to himself. He would have to remember to keep C.J. on speed dial in the future for all his yelling at Josh needs. She was really quite good at it. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

When Donna got back to the room, completely relaxed and smelling of oils and lotions, Josh was sitting out on the patio again, scribbling furiously. She stood behind him until he noticed her presence. He looked up and there she was, standing over him.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She leaned down to kiss him. He always found this exceptionally erotic, her mouth gently kissing his, the control all hers. Of the various types of kisses they had, this one, which she had first given to him after laying down her time-line that morning, was it only a week ago, in his apartment.

“Time to go.” She said.

“Go where?”

“I was given some information which I am now going to use. I recommend you come with me.”

“Donna, can I just….”

“No. You’re going to put your bathing suit back on and you’re going to come with me. I’m bringing my equipment.” She smiled and leered at him out of the corner of her eye.

He laughed, really laughed, for the first time all day. “Okay, I’m up, I’m coming.”

“Save it. You can say those things to me later.”

And with that Donna picked up a small bag and a big beach towel and began leaving the room. Josh quickly put on his swim trunks and followed her out.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

They walked about a half a mile up the beach and then behind some bushes. The tide was low and the area was very secluded. Donna laid the towel down on the ground and motioned for Josh to lie down on his stomach. He complied. She helped him remove his t-shirt, but not his swim trunks.

“How did you know about this place?’ Josh asked.

“The people in the spa know things. And I ask good questions.”

She opened up the little plastic bag, although Josh couldn’t see what she was removing from it. A moment later he realized what it was as she poured something on his back. It was massage oil.

“You know, I’m not complaining, but I had one of these earlier you know.”

“I’m well aware of that. But you didn’t have me give you one, which you were complaining about, and you didn’t have one with this stuff.”

She was gently slathering the oil over his back. Suddenly it started to tingle.

“What the hell?”

“It’ll warm up a little, especially as I rub it. And one more thing,” she paused and suddenly he could feel her tongue on his back, licking off the oil, “It’s tasty. Kind of cinnamony.”

Josh grinned and lay there as her hands slowly and delicately skimmed over his shoulders and back. She was taking a lighter touch than the sadist who had him on the table earlier. That was some kind of deep-tissue thing and although it made him feel better, it was far from painless and even further from sexy. This was sexy.

Donna reached down and pulled his trunks off of him. Josh was now completely naked. She poured some of the oil onto his ass and down his thighs. She slowly spread the liquid around, pushing his legs a little farther apart and gently grazing his balls with the tips of her fingers.

Josh sighed.

She then moved back up to his shoulders and began licking and sucking the oil off his back. Down his spine, towards the crack of his ass. Josh gasped. 

“Okay,” she said, “My turn.”

Josh was startled. He had just begun to really enjoy himself but he complied.

Donna removed the large shirt she was wearing, revealing her bikini. She quickly removed it and rolled over on her belly. 

Josh took the slick liquid and poured a large amount on her back. More then he intended.

He slathered her back up and as he reached lower he noticed two large bruises on he butt.

“Donna, are you okay?” He sounded concerned, gently touching the bruises.

She laughed, “Not permanently or anything. Let’s just say that when my ass hit marble, the marble won.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I should be more careful.”

“I’m fine Josh. I’m just getting impatient.”

“Sorry.”

He rubbed the oil on her back, careful to avoid her bruises and then began licking, the way she hand licked him as well. He ran his tongue down her spine and slathered more oil between her legs. She moaned.

“Shhhh….turn over.”

She did as she was told and he poured more oil onto her front, gently massaging in the oil into her breasts. His hands continued downward until his covered hand found her clit and he slathered it as well.

Sucking on her breast he began to rub her. He hips began to ungulate and she began making small squeaking noises. He was fascinated that she kept coming up with new sounds and his dick got even harder.

He pinched her nipple and moved his head down to her belly where he continued to lick and suck the oil off of her, while he inserted his fingers inside of her and used his thumb to continue to quickly massage her clit.

Her breathing quickened and he could tell she was close to coming so he stopped and moved his head down further. Leaving his fingers where they were his placed his mouth over her clit and began licking and sucking it. It took approximately 15 seconds until she was screaming. He quickly moved back up and placed his own mouth over hers, trying to keep her quiet. It was a secluded spot, but not that secluded.

 

“Shhhh…”

She was still convulsing a little when he slid into her, the oil assisting in any resistance that might have happened.

“Wait.” Donna said. She rolled them so that Josh was on his back. His hands instantly went up to touch her breasts and he moved his fingers over her oiled and hardened nipples. He didn’t move.

So she did. Using him for her own pleasure she began rocking back and forth, his hands still on her breasts, his eyes scanning her body, the long line of her torso, the way her hair moved, the expression of gasping bliss on her face as she used him to bring herself to another powerful orgasm. She clenched his length with her release and he suddenly couldn’t stop himself from thrusting into her. 

She had collapsed onto his chest and he took the time to pull out almost entirely from her, then jam his way back in, finally, with two more quick strokes he felt his balls contracts and came with a groan, his entire body convulsing against her. The slickness between them made this even better. She covered his own mouth with hers trying to contain his groan and continued to kiss and lick all of the oily places around his mouth.

When he recovered he kissed and licked her back. Not moving, not wanting to move.

“How is it that this is incredible every single time?” He whispered to her.

“You didn’t think it would be like this?”

“If I had known…” he trailed off.

“What, you would have pushed me against the desk in the bullpen long ago.”

“No. I wouldn’t have.”

“I knew it would be this good.”

“How did you know that.”

“Josh, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m good in bed. I like sex.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“I also know that, given the women you dated, you must have been good in bed too. And you were always saying you were. I figured it couldn’t all just be ego.”

“Yeah.”

“So if you’re good in bed, and I’m good in bed, it stands to reason we would be good in bed.”

“Not this good Donna.”

“We are pretty fucking spectacular Josh.” She grinned at him, that toothy grin she gave when she was really uninhibited.

“You know, as much as I want to stay here lying in your arms…”

“We’re a little greasy…”

“Yeah, and hungry.”

“Okay. Let’s get our bathing suits back on, rinse off in the ocean for a minute so we don’t glisten quite so much. Then we can get back to the hotel without being too embarrassed. Then it’s shower, clothing and dinner. That a plan?”

He smiled again, kissing her nose. “It’s an excellent plan.”

“I’m known for my plans.” She rolled off of him and found the various pieces to her bathing suit. Josh reached for his swim trunks although he didn’t try to put his t-shirt back on. Donna picked up the towel and shook it out. She placed the oil back into her little plastic bag, picked up her over shirt and started to walk down to the beach.

“Hey,” Josh said, following behind her, “you need to wait for me to get my bathing suit on before you implement the plan.”

“It’s an excellent plan.” She said again, turning to him and kissing him.

“Yes it is.” He mumbled into her mouth, kissing her back.

How the hell was he going to end it? He had no idea.


	6. Day 6

Donna woke up from a solid seven hours of sleep. She left the bed and quietly went to the bathroom, peed, brushed her teeth and then walked back into the room. Josh was still lying there, mouth open, quietly snoring. She crawled back into bed and spooned up against him. He unconsciously rolled towards her and threw an arm over her waist. His nose buried in her hair. He made a little sigh without ever waking up.

He had been up late the night before, still working on the Baker thing. He had come up with seven ideas total. He had told her when he had gone to sleep at about 2am. So it was 7:30am and he was still asleep and she was taking advantage of that fact. For the past three days she had woken up alone. She may have gotten back to sleep, but every day she had woken up and noticed the lack of his presence. Today he was still here and he was holding her.

She snuggled down into his arm, pushing back against his torso and sighed. She knew they would have to talk today. They had been going along well. They had talked about their past and their current feelings. But they hadn’t talked about their future. In addition, she could sense that he was pulling back. Josh was moving within himself. Something was wrong and they hadn’t talked about it. He was smiling less, focusing on work more. It was his way. He bottled and then exploded. She wanted to make sure that he didn’t do that again.

His arm wrapped around her tighter and she could tell he was waking up. His nose was buried into her neck and he grumbled a little. She could feel the hint of an erection poking into her. She smiled.

“Mmmmm…” Josh’s hand moved up her torso and was now in between her breasts.

“Good morning.” Donna said.

“Good morning.” Josh mumbled, finding her right breast and burying his face further into her neck. He started to kiss it softly. “Mmmmm…”

She liked the warm feeling she was beginning to get. It amazed her how much energy Josh possessed. He only had been asleep for five and a half hours and now she could feel him, distinctly, poking her. And not with his finger.

“Josh…”

“Mmmmm…” She felt his hand moving down now, lower, down her belly, past the waistband of her pajama pants. She went to turn over, but he held her still.

“No.” He said. It was clear he wanted to stay like this. He sucked the back of her earlobe and rested his hand on her slit, not venturing in yet.

“Josh…” she whispered.

“Help me take your pants off.” His voice was still rough with sleep.

She reached her hands down and slid her pants down over her hips. Using her feet she pulled them off all the way. He moved his hand down between her legs and began to lightly tap her clit. She arched to meet his hand and he pressed his own hips against her backside. She could feel his cock pressed up against her ass and it excited her. She ground against his palm and shuddered to a small silent orgasm.

He kept kissing her neck and carefully parting her legs with his hand he entered her slowly. She didn’t move for a few minutes and neither did he. His hand had slowly stroked its way back up to her breasts, playing with her nipples. She grabbed his hand with her own, the only actual control she had in this position and brought it to her mouth and sucked.

He felt as if the nerves in his fingers were directly connected to his dick, he arched forward and finally could not reserve the urge to thrust deeply into her. His hand went back down to her clit as his other arm finally wrapped itself underneath her torso, threading her waist and resting his hand on her belly. His mouth was now open and pressed against her shoulder.

Donna began to breath harder again, her hips thrusting against him and he hoped that he could hold on long enough as he flattened the palm of his hand onto her clit and she suddenly stiffened, grunted and cried out. He removed his hand and placed it on her hip, helping move her harder and faster until he stiffened too…groaning into her back and pressing her against him.

When he had recovered he stayed in her and placed tiny kisses on her back, between her shoulder blades, and on the back of her neck.

“Good morning.” Donna said again.

“Mmmmm…”

“You’re not particularly articulate today, are you?”

He had softened enough to slip out of her and she rolled over to face him.

Josh smiled almost shyly at her, “I think I need to wake up like that again tomorrow.”

“I think if you don’t go down to the gym at 5:30 in the morning you might have a good chance of it.”

“I like morning sex.”

“So do I.”

“I like afternoon sex too.” He smiled even wider and flopped an arm over her hip.

“I do too.”

“And I like evening sex as well.” He placed some tiny kisses on her shoulder.

“I think with all the morning sex, and all the afternoon sex, we’ve been a little too tired for evening sex.”

“We should remedy that.”

“What would you propose we do, cut out morning sex, or afternoon sex?”

“We can’t have all three?”

“Well I know that I can, but there would be some chafing.”

He smiled at her, just looking into her eyes.

“Do you want to get up?” Donna asked him.

“I think I still need a minute. Let’s just lie here like this for a while. Okay?”

“Okay.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They were taking a walk down one of the paths that surrounded the resort, past the golf course overlooking the ocean. Josh was holding Donna’s hand.

“Josh?”

“Hmmm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Yes. What’s wrong.”

“Uh, I don’t know.”

“Yes you do. You’ve been quiet since yesterday.”

“I’m relaxed.”

She raised her eyebrows at him, she knew him to well too be fooled by that line. “No you’re not. Something’s wrong.”

Josh noticed a bench and, placing his hand in the small of her back, he maneuvered her to it and sat down next to her.

“I don’t know that I can do this.”

“What? The vacation is almost over Josh, you only have to…oh”

“Yeah.”

“You mean…”

“Yeah.”

“Why not?”

“Because how is this supposed to work?”

“We’ll make it work. We’ll figure it out.”

“How? How are we going to make it work Donna? How did it work for Toby, or C.J., or Sam? How did it work for Leo? A year into the most important job he’d ever have Jenny left him? I can’t do that. I can’t do my job worrying that you’ll leave me.”

“I won’t.”

“Why not? You’ve left me before.”

“Josh!” Donna was shocked. “That was different. That wasn’t us. That was a job. I never left you.”

“It felt that way.”

“It was the right thing to do.” Donna wasn’t going to apologize for it. “But it’s different, we are different.”

“Donna, I can’t do this job half-assed. I can’t spend a forty hour week on this. This is going to be 12 hours a day minimum, six days a week, minimum. When are we going to have time for a relationship?”

“When did we ever not have time for a relationship?”

“We didn’t have a relationship, that’s why nothing happened.”

“Josh, we had a relationship, we didn’t do anything about it because there were too many problems that we would have encountered if we had consummated. I think our little fantasy conversation a few days back is proof of that.”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll figure it out. I’ll be busy, you’ll be busy, but we’ll have lunch together in your office, or we’ll bring home work. We will make it work. Because it’s important.”

“But if you left...”

“But I won’t.”

“Or I…” His voice hitched in his throat.

“Josh, it’s not that you’re afraid I’ll leave you, or that Jenny left Leo. You know I love you. You know I understand, even love, how important your work is to you. What is it? Why do you think this won’t work and why won’t you…” Donna was getting more visibly upset. “I can’t believe after all these years, after all this dancing around the issue, you’re going leave me. That you would take this week and turn it into…”

She gasped and her hand went over her mouth. Her eyes started to well up. She bit her lip, realizing what was really going on.

“Oh Josh…” She whispered and she took his hand.

He wouldn’t look at her. He couldn’t.

She touched his cheek with the back of her hand and stroked it, down to his chin.

“It’s not me who you’re afraid will leave…” Her voice trailed off. “You know that I would rather have whatever time we have together then to lose you now. You know that, right?”

Josh made a little sound, something between a gasp and a sigh. His voice came out horse. “I can’t do it to you Donna. I can’t just abandon you someday.”

“Josh, you won’t. I know.”

“I don’t take care of myself Donna. I was shot in the chest. My blood pressure is never good. My cholesterol sucks. I’m such damaged goods.” He hung his head.

“Josh, you need to look at me.”

Josh turned his head. “Right now you’re fine. Right now you’re strong. Do you remember what I told you?”

“What?”

“Health and strength?”

“Yeah, Fishhooks whatever.” He smiled a little.

“You bet your ass. I don’t care about the future. I care about spending every day I can with you. You let me worry about what happens to me if something happens to you.”

“But Donna…”

“No, you need to listen to me,” Donna’s voice was calm but firm, “If I want to be with you, I want to be with you. You can’t protect me from it. You can’t stop it. We did, you did, for a long time. We did everything for this not to happen. And it did anyway. It was inevitable. We have spent so much time trying to ignore it, trying to fight it, trying to pretend it isn’t here, do you really think that if you told me you were leaving me or dying tomorrow, it would make the least bit of difference to me?”

“No.”

“So why do you think you could make that decision for me?”

“I…don’t know.”

“Yeah.”

Josh ran his hands through his hair.

“You okay?” She asked.

“Yeah. This conversation did not go the way I intended it to however.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

He finally looked up at her and smiled, “No. It’s not a bad thing.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

Josh found that after wandering around outside, bearing his soul to Donna (not that she hadn’t already seen it), and not having eaten, he was famished. He and Donna walked over to the hotel bar, he ordered a chicken club and she ordered a salad. Josh didn’t really know where to go next. He had tried to end it and she had refused. Just refused. His reasons weren’t good enough. But he still didn’t see how this was going to work.

Every relationship he had ever had was stymied by his own work ethic. The job was the most important thing. Josh had no frame of reference for these things not flaming out and he had no idea how to proceed from this point. Donna snaked an arm towards his plate, stole a fry and placed it quickly in her mouth.

“You know, I saw that.”

“And your point is.”

“You’re stealth skills leave something to be desired.”

“You should be nicer to me. You should complement my skills.”

“I’m happy to complement many of your skills, but your stealth will never be one of them.”

“I don’t think that’s true. For years I used to lurk without your knowledge.”

“Yeah, but I finally figured it out, got you on my radar, and now it doesn’t work anymore. So, basically, you’ve failed.”

“You know you’re making this a challenge, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, you still seem like something’s bothering you.”

“Where did that come from?”

“I’m stealthy.”

“No, you’re prone to wild, bizarre, unpredictable topic changes.”

“I am not prone to…well, okay, I am. But it’s just to keep you on your toes.”

“Thanks.”

“It has nothing to do with the fact that something is obviously still bothering you.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly get to do what I wanted to do…”

“Well you were giving me really dumb reasons...”

“Donna! That’s not the point.”

“The point is we still haven’t solved the problem as you see it.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay. So let’s solve it.”

“How?”

“I’m not sure. We have some note cards though.”

“I have some legal pads and I still have some of those nice pens.”

“Right. We’ll brainstorm.”

“Think the hotel has a dry-erase board?”

“Josh, I think that might be taking things a little far.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They had gotten back in their room. Donna had taken her shoes off and was sitting on the nicely made bed with a pile of index cards to her right. Josh was standing, pacing back and forth, a notepad in his hand and his pen in his mouth.

“Okay,” Josh said, removing the pen from his mouth, “It seems to me we should break this down into three possible categories. One. What we have done in the past that makes our relationships fail. Two. External factors that will affect this. Three. What we want this to be.”

“Right. Let’s start with you.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the one who has the most screwed up relationships.”

“What are you talking about, have you seen the gomers you dated? And how long was the longest relationship? Two months?”

“I was with ‘Dr. Freeride,’ as you so cleverly call him, for over three years and there is a clear explanation for the failures in my relationships.”

“And that is?”

“I was in love with my boss.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

“Okay. Good point.” Josh flashed her a huge grin, “I can see how other guys wouldn’t compare…”

“Shut up.”

“Okay.” Josh looked at her, the smile fading, “But seriously, that wasn’t the only problem. You’re a doormat. You let guys walk all over you. Look at Captain Wonderful. You date him for two months and you’re covering for him leaking information to the press. Dr. Freeride had you support him for three years when you should have been in school. And let’s not even discuss…”

“You’re right,” Donna interrupted, “I do let guys walk all over me. The main one being you.” Josh furrowed his brow as Donna continued. “You have to not do that. You have to not let me do things for you when I need to do things for myself.”

“Donna, I can’t stop you from…”

“Right, but you can stop expecting that the answer will be yes every time and holding it against me when it’s not. Sometimes I’m going to need you to do things for me too.”

“Okay.”

“Can you do that?”

“How did your need to be dominated by a man become my problem?”

“Because you’re very demanding. And I do not have the need to be dominated by a man.”

“Okay so let’s do some bullet points on this.” Josh made some notations on his pad and looked up, “On to part two.”

“No. We still haven’t covered Josh Lyman’s particular dating problems.”

“You know I would have happily been coupled up on several occasions. The women were just…”

“Competitive mean-spirited bitches?”

“DONNA!”

“Okay, sorry, that was out of line. But really Josh, you do have a tendency to bump into women sideways and then hope they break-up with you.”

“I know. But I haven’t done that with you.”

“True. You just tried to break up with me the day after asking me to be your girlfriend.”

“Well, at least I was proactive about it. Can’t say I pulled passive-aggressive stuff if I was actively aggressive.”

“You were only that way because of my prompting.”

“Yeah.”

“So make a note of it.”

“Done.”

“Not done.”

“Why?”

“We haven’t talked about you yet.”

“We just did!” 

“No, we talked about you bumping into me sideways.”

“Yeah. Well, you seem to be pretty good at identifying that and not letting me. Besides, it was different before.”

“Why? Because you dated cold-hearted, self-centered bitches?” Josh shot her a look. “What? I’m just expressing an opinion!”

“Well, yeah, but it’s not reason to be...awe, hell, yeah. Because you’re not a cold-hearted, self-centered bitch. And aside from loving you I actually like you and want you to think better of me.”

“Oh Josh, that’s sweet. Write that down.” Josh did. “Now we can go on to two.”

“Right, the outside forces on our relationship. That’s easy. Your job and my job.”

“And how do we solve that?”

Josh paused. “I have no idea.”

“Okay. So here are a few ideas. We can set aside a specific time to talk every day.”

“Unless I’m in the Sit Room.”

“Yeah, otherwise I can just hear the conversation, ‘General, I’m sorry, I need to check in with my girlfriend.’” Donna pretended to be Josh.

“Not going to inspire confidence.”

“Okay. But as soon as you get out, you call.”

“Deal. Although, you know what else would make it easier?”

“What?”

“Well, assuming that Mrs. Santos wants to spend time with her kids you’re probably going to be able to work from home or, say, my office after seven or eight.”

“Yeah, I could do that.”

“You could even bring me dinner.”

“And how likely is that.”

“Well, maybe if I ask you nicely.”

“Perhaps.”

“And one other thing.”

“What?”

“You could give up your place.”

“I’m sorry?”

“What Donna? It’s not like we need to date. I already know what you like to eat. Which side of the bed you sleep on. What movies and books you like. I already know I love you. I like having you next to me. This way it gives me an incentive to come home, so I can spend time with you.”

“So you can sleep with me you mean.”

“Well, yes, but that’s just one of many benefits.”

“What are the others?”

“You can cook for me, do laundry, massage my feet…”

Donna threw a pillow at him that whizzed past his head and hit the wall behind him.

“I was kidding.” Josh whined.

“About us moving in together?”

“No. About you cooking.” He grinned again.

Donna rolled her eyes and ignored him. “Let’s come back to this topic. I think we have some good bullet points. Put it all down.”

Josh wrote quickly.

“Okay, Three.” Donna said.

“I want you.”

“Okay.”

“No, Donna, I’m serious. I want to kiss you whenever I see you and I want to spend time with you and I want your opinions on what I’m doing. The months we were apart were awful and I don’t want that to happen again.” Josh walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. “I’ve spent nine years looking at you, trying to keep you near me. And now I can. You said to me that whatever the build-up we got together under heightened emotional circumstances. You’re right. We did. But I wanted us to be together well before that and I think we’ve established that you did too. You’re right; we’ve got to figure out a way to do that. And the only way I can think of is if we have the same address.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll move in.”

Josh smiled and leaned over and kissed her softly. Donna scooted over and Josh lay down next to her, his head resting on her abdomen.

“You okay?” She asked after a while.

“Yeah.”

“Because you’ve gotten really quiet and it’s not like you.”

“I’m thinking.”

“Josh?”

“Yeah.”

“There is something else we need to talk about.”

“What?”

“We’ve spent nine years doing this dance, not telling each other how we feel about things. We need to stop doing that.”

“Stop not telling each other how we feel?”

“Yeah.”

“You realize that’s a double negative?”

“Thanks for pointing that out. Seriously, this isn’t going to last if I have to try and divine your feelings…”

“Or I have to guess at yours.”

“Right.”

“Okay.”

“So, what were you just thinking about?” Donna’s hand began to stroke his hair and he closed his eyes against the soothing nature of the gesture.

“Oh,” Josh sighed, “I was thinking about how everything is changing, which, realistically, I’m pretty bad at dealing with, and how I’m not nearly as freaked as I should be.” Josh turned his head and shifted his body so he was looking at her, “I’m actually pretty calm about it.”

Donna smiled, “What do you think has me so worried.”

Josh smiled back at her. “See, but finally things seem, I don’t really know. I think I’ve been a little freaked about how right this all is. About how all of the roadblocks I keep trying to put up don’t make sense and that the only thing that makes sense is this.”

“So, even though you just tried to break up with me, you’re okay with all the big changes?”

“Truth is, with all the big changes, this one just doesn’t seem so big anymore, now that we’ve got a plan. It seems smaller than it should I guess. But that’s just my opinion. What about you?”

“Who are you and what have you done with Joshua Lyman?” Donna ruffled his hair absentmindedly. “Seriously, I’m concerned but I’m okay.”

“Concerned?”

“Josh, you see the big picture. You then make plans and focus on the individual aspects. Sometimes you focus too hard. You get tunnel vision. You ignore everything else. I worry about the details not in the plan. I worry about the little things you don’t account for.”

“It’s why we make such a good team.”

“Yes, but it also means that once we have a plan in place I have to worry about implementing it on a more practical level.”

“’kay

“But it’s okay. I’ll let you know when the implementation strategy isn’t working.” Donna smiled, “And I’ll tell the ‘twitchy chick’ she can have my apartment.” Josh slid back up next to her and they began to kiss. Long, languid kisses. Kisses just for the sake of kissing.

“This is fun.” Josh mumbled into her mouth. Donna giggled. His hand started to wander over her breast, she rolled towards him and started to rub his back and then came around to his chest again.

“I feel like I’m in high school.” Josh smiled at her.

“Do you really do this type of thing in high school?”

“No.”

“Well, I did, and I can say this is much better.”

Josh laughed and unzipped her shorts. He pulled them and her underwear down. “Just relax,” he said. He threw her legs over his shoulders as he slid down and gently started to stroke her clit. She made appreciative moans, quiet and encouraging and she began to feel warmer and her internal muscles started to clench.

And then the phone rang. 

Josh lifted his head from what he was doing. “Answer it,” he commanded.

She rolled over and picked up the phone. “Hello.”

“Hey Donna. Is Josh there?”

Josh shook his head and placed his lips on her clit.

“Ah, no Sam,” Donna’s voice seemed much higher than usual, “He’s busy right now. Can he call you back?”

“Sure. Hey, Donna, you okay?”

Josh’s tongue was more insistent now.

Donna bit her lip in order to stifle a scream. She inhaled deeply and composed herself, trying to ignore Josh’s persistence. “Yeah, Sam. But I have to go now. He’ll call back.” And she quickly hung up the phone.

Josh continued to flick his tongue back and forth over her clit. The effort to not make noise while on the phone with Sam had aroused her all the more and she moaned loudly. He inserted two fingers into her and began to speed up. It didn’t take long, her hips bucked against his mouth, her legs clamped down against his head, her back arched and she came screaming his name.

Josh gave her a few more licks and then moved up to hold her as she was still recovering. He kissed her again.

“That was just mean.” Donna smiled as she kissed him.

Josh smiled again and moved down to her neck where he placed tiny kisses on her already sensitive flesh. Her hands reached down to undo the buttons on his pants. She reached down and felt his erection. He gasped. She moved down, Josh made a little whimper as she moved away from him, and yanked his pants and boxers off. She gently rubbed the tip of his penis with her fingers and lightly stroked his balls. She took her tongue and licked the top of his penis, then gently moved down and licked from the base of his penis up to the tip, over his vein. He let out a groan. She took the entire tip into her mouth and sucked it as he arched up to meet her.

“Donna!” He yelled, “No.”

She looked up questioningly.

“I’m not going to last and I want…”

She understood. She moved back up to his face and kissed him and he kissed back, rolling on to her. She opened her legs and he entered quickly and hard. She gasped and he buried his face in her neck stroking in and out of her with powerful thrusts. He reached his hand down to pinch her clit and she pushed it away. “No, I just want to feel you.” He pressed down against her and she pushed up to meet him, her breathing quickening. Josh just prayed that he could hold on long enough to bring her to the brink again, he could feel his balls constricting and suddenly he felt her tightening against him and she cried out, clamping down around him, her legs tightening around his waist, her nails digging into his back, her cries in his ear, her walls milking him and he stroked one more time and came himself, crying her name and collapsed on top of her.

She snuggled up next to him, both of them breathing hard.

“That was nice.” Donna said.

“Nice?”

“Yeah, on the level of niceness…”

“Oh shut up.” Josh was laughing now.

“You deserved that.”

“I did. I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Yeah. But we have a plan.”

“I know I have a plan.” Josh said smiling at her. “And we can still have lots of sex when we get home.”

“That’s certainly true.” She kissed him. “Don’t forget to call Sam back.”

“I can call him tomorrow.” Josh smiled at her. “It’s not life or death.”

And Donna thought to herself for the first time that this might just work out.


	7. Day 7

Donna had insisted that they set the alarm for 4:30am. The flight didn’t leave until 9:30am but she had argued and cajoled and pressured him that they could sleep on the plane and if he wasn’t going to pack in the evening she wanted to make sure he packed in the morning, which meant getting up at 4:30am.

They had gone to a luau the night before. Another one of those things that Donna insisted that they do. Much to his surprise he had a terrific time, even learning a little hula dancing. Donna had collapsed in a fit of giggles watching him. Donna had packed most of her clothes when they got back to the room. Josh had watched her. Donna harped on him to pack too, but he claimed he always packed better ‘under pressure’ which is how the 4:30am wake-up call became instituted. Josh actually hadn’t fought it as much as he could have. Sometimes he knew you had to pick your battles.

So at 4:30am the phone had rung, Josh made a little moan and Donna de-tangled herself from Josh and got out of bed. Room service didn’t deliver until 6am so Donna went into the bathroom to use the coffee maker which came with the room. She peed and came back into the room.

“Josh, get up and pack.”

Josh placed his head back under the pillow and mumbled something unintelligible. 

“Josh, get up and pack. I need to call C.J.”

Josh’s head emerged from under the pillow.

“I need to tell her I have to come by and pick up my stuff from her place.”

“Why didn’t you call her yesterday?” Josh was beginning to wake up, although his voice was still rough and scratchy, which she found very sexy.

“Because I was on vacation and I didn’t want the third degree. Now I don’t care so much and I have to do something while you pack.”

Josh sighed and rolled out of bed. He rubbed his face and his head, stretched and padded his way into the bathroom. Donna called the White House switchboard and was put through to Margaret’s desk.

“C.J. Cregg’s Office.”

“Hi Margaret, it’s Donna.”

“Hi Donna. You know, you ran off to Hawaii with Josh.” 

“Yeah. Is C.J. there?”

“I’m just surprised because you know; it’s generally not a good idea to date your boss.”

“Margaret, he’s not my boss. I don’t work for him any more.” 

“Right. So. C.J. Right?”

“Yes. Thank you Margaret.”

Donna was placed on hold and then the line picked up.

“Donna, how you doing?” Asked C.J., a note of concern in her voice.

“I’m fine C.J. Is this a bad time?”

“No, I actually have a moment. Isn’t it like…”

“4:45am in the morning. Yes. We’re about to check out and go to the airport. But I wanted to call you before we left and let you know that I won’t need your hospitality any more and I’ll call you when I get back and we can arrange to pick up whatever I have left there. It’s not much.”

“And you’re moving in with Josh?”

Donna paused, “Yes.”

“Really?”

“I don’t understand why you’re so surprised C.J., I did just spend seven days with him. I know you probably don’t approve but…”

“Approve, hell, I’ll throw you guys a party, but I thought Josh was getting cold feet.”

“He was, but I warmed them up.”

“I don’t really want to know how.”

“I talked to him C.J., get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Wow, that’s a new one for you guys.”

“Yes it is.” Donna smiled.

“So you guys together...”

“Yep.”

“And when you come pick you your stuff, you’ll spill…”

“Of course. We’ll make an evening out of it.”

“I’m going to want details, but not too many details, you understand, right?”

Donna could hear the shower turn off and knew that Josh would be coming back into the room in a minute. “Yes, C.J. I can give you that.” Josh walked out of the bathroom still dripping with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Josh just got out of the shower so I have to go now.”

“Of course you have to go, I have some things you need to take care of.” Josh approached her from behind and began kissing her neck.

“Was that just Josh being romantic!”

Donna couldn’t help but smile, “Yes.”

“There’s something really wrong about that.”

“I’m getting used to it.”

“Bye C.J., I’m getting off the phone.” Josh yelled into the phone.

“Remind romance boy that I’m still the second most powerful person in the world for the next nine weeks or so and therefore phone conversations end when I say they end.”

“Josh, C.J. says that…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell Brunhilda…”

“C.J. I’m going to hang up because I don’t really want to get involved in your shouting match. It’s too early in the morning here.”

“Go, go, go. I have to go anyway. I’m glad Josh came to his senses.”

“Me too. Talk to you later. Bye.”

Donna hung up the phone and turned to Josh, who was looking amorous. “Josh, you need to pack.”

“I think I need to do other things first.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she dodged him. 

“No. I need to take a shower and you need to pack.”

“Donna…”

“Don’t whine at me, you were the one who didn’t want to pack last night.”

“Yeah.”

“So I’m taking a shower.” She walked towards the bathroom and closed the door on him as he sighed and walked over to his suitcase.

Josh gathered all his belongings and threw them into the suitcase, pulling out some clothes for the plane ride home. He knocked on the door of the bathroom and walked in. Donna was in the shower scrubbing away, he grabbed his toilet kit, stole a look at her form outlined in the shower, and left quickly.

He threw everything into the suitcase and closed it quickly, sealing it up. He knew that if Donna could have seen the state of his “packing” she would have a fit. He was glad to be finished before she was done with her shower.

It was 5:15am and they didn’t have to leave for the airport for another two hours.

Donna came out of the bathroom, holding her toilet kit and wrapped in a towel.

“You know we have two hours to kill?” Josh was lying on the bed at this point, still wrapped in his towel and watching CNN.

“You packed already?”

“I told you I packed well under pressure.”

“You didn’t fold anything did you?”

“It all needs to be washed when I get home anyway.”

Donna sighed and sat down next to him on the bed. “So two hours…”

“Yeah.” Josh’s hand rested on her thigh. He began to move his thumb in slow circles.

“Now I know why you agreed to wake up by 4:30. I was wondering why there wasn’t more of an argument from you.”

“I wanted to have a leisurely breakfast and a nice run at the gym.” Josh's thumb continued to move enticingly.

“Given what your hand is currently doing, I would bet there are other reasons you might want to pack quickly.”

Josh rolled over and quickly untucked the towel from around Donna. He took a long, deliberate look over her body. She felt the urge to cover herself but fought the instinct and allowed him to look. His eyes finally rested on her face.

“You’re beautiful.” He almost whispered and then smiled. “I always thought so, but I had no idea really how beautiful you were.”

Donna rolled over and kissed him fiercely. Josh was taken by surprise, but he kissed back, trying to keep up with her probing lips and tongue and her hands which were moving seductively. Josh finally pulled away from her for a moment to catch his breath. “If I had known that would be your reaction I would have told you that you were beautiful during our first term.” He smiled at her in a flirty fashion.

In the past two and a half weeks he still hadn’t quite gotten used to sexually aggressive Donna. It wasn’t something he had expected. Of all of those times he thought about it he had imagined her to be more passive, more deliberate, perhaps even softer. And she certainly could be. She had been that way right after Leo died and a few times this past week. But Donna confounded his expectations (and wasn’t that always the way). She was just as likely to take the lead as to let him take the lead. She was just as likely to give in to her own desires. And now that the dam had been broken and the rules against them touching or feeling had been broken down she made her desires known and he found it very exciting. More exciting than he thought was possible.

He leaned into her again and quickly removed his towel. Now Donna broke off the kiss and glanced down to discover him ready for her. She smiled. “That didn’t take long.”

“With you it never does.”

Donna smiled at him again coyly and then his lips were on her breast. She could feel the familiar tug that seemed to come whenever he did this. She had always thought that Josh would have been more frenetic, his impatience winning out over his desire to do things right. She now realized that the same thing that allowed him to get into Harvard and Yale, the same thing that allowed him to read detailed DoD reports, was the same thing that allowed him to concentrate exclusively on her. And his ability to bring out that vulnerable, sweet side just when you least expected it caused her desire to rage and make her want to grab him. Which is what she did.

Her hand went down to grab him and he released his mouth from her breast to make a small gasping sound. Now she went to his chest, nibbling on his nipple. She rolled on top of him. “Is this what you were thinking we could do when you packed quickly?”

Given what Donna hand was doing, slowly trailing up and down Josh’s penis, swirling around the tip, then lightly trailing on his balls, Josh had lost the power of speech. He simply nodded at her.

“You’re really putty in my hands aren’t you?” She smiled at him mischievously.

“Yes.” He whispered hoarsely.

“I could get you to do anything I wanted right now?”

“Yes.”

“And this is information I could have used in President Bartlet’s first term.”

Josh nodded and Donna took her other hand, placed it on the remote and turned off the TV. Josh moved his head off the pillow to kiss her again. He couldn’t resist her mouth, those poutty lips.

They continued to kiss, and she continued to stroke his penis. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Donna, you have to either stop doing that or you have to let me…”

Before he could finish the sentence Donna had released her grip. She rolled off of him and on to her back, tilted her head and smiled at him. “Okay, my turn.”

Josh quickly moved his hand between her legs, she was ready for him. He couldn’t wait. He positioned her over him and entered her slowly. He reached down and felt for her clit. She moaned and began moving against him. 

Josh just tried to keep up. He applied slow, firm pressure, working her clit back and forth, attempting to keep contact with her clit as she moved with his fingers, grinding against him, bucking and moaning, and very quickly she came, gripping his back and yelling his name.

Now Josh could focus on himself. He knew it wouldn’t take long. Between Donna’s earlier touches and her orgasm he was about ready, he slammed into her once, twice, three times and then with a final stroke he felt himself release as he screamed her name. He rolled off of her, his chest rising and falling, trying to clear his mind.

Donna smiled at him. “You okay?”

“Yes.” Josh cuddled up next to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Not my greatest achievement, but I think we both enjoyed that. I’m going to miss being here.”

“There’s no rule that says we can’t do this exact thing in D.C.”

“I know, but do you really think we will?”

“Yes I do.” Donna paused and brushed Josh’s hair back. “We’ll make sure of it.”

Josh looked at the clock. It was a little before 6am. “You know, we could have a quick shower, rinse off, and go down to breakfast before checking out. What do you think.”

Donna leaned over and gave Josh a little peck on the lips. “I think that’s a plan.”

And it was one they could successfully execute.

 

Washington DC – Day 294 -- Epilogue

The President and Mrs. Santos were in Houston and had explicitly told them to take the day off and grab a long weekend. The dog days of August were always slow, Sam had gone down to Texas to staff the President, Donna and Josh were to follow on Monday. But for right now they had the day, the weekend, off.

Josh was a creature of habit and routine. Ever since they had started living together, with the exception of the occasional national or international crisis or when one of them was traveling, it had been the same. They went to bed together, him falling asleep wrapped around her. He then woke up around 5am. He jumped on the treadmill in the living room and ran for a half hour while he watched the news. He would start the coffee while he took a shower. When he was clean he would pour coffee for both of them and wake her up at 6:15am. Sometimes she would just drink the coffee. Sometimes she would do other things with him. Those other things made him smile. Hell, she just made him smile. Generally they left the apartment by 7:15am and were in the office by 7:45am. Senior staff never happened before 8am. Matthew Santos’ White House was most definitely not Jed Bartlet’s White House. Barring any emergency or state function President Santos was in the Oval from 8:30am to 7:30pm. It made Josh’s job almost predictable in its schedule.

So here he was, 5:30 in the morning, still in bed, Donna asleep. He silently left the bed and made his way to the shower. He had it well planned with the help of everyone, even his assistant Mrs. Deloren. She was a nice woman, very efficient, and, as Donna said, she didn’t put up with his shit either. Donna had found her after his first three assistants had left him within a few weeks of each of their hiring. 

He had consulted everyone. Sam had suggested that he do it in the DCoS office, but Josh didn’t think Donna would think it was suitably romantic. The President had volunteered, since he wasn’t going to be there anyway, to let Josh do it in the Oval Office, but again, it was an office and wasn’t what he was going for. President Bartlet had tried to sell him on the beauties of a New Hampshire farm house in August, but Josh remembered what August could be like in New Hampshire and, while it was the site of their first meeting, he couldn’t imagine spending time with President Bartlet or the First Lady would be romantic. C.J. had tried to get him to come out to California to do it, but after all of the traveling on Air Force One there was no way he was going to do six hours each way on a plane, even business class, just for a long weekend unless he had to. Toby had only suggested that he not buy a house beforehand and wished him luck. Lou had told him she didn’t care but that he better not screw it up or she’d kick his ass.

It was actually Helen who gave him the correct suggestion on how he should do it. He had taken to calling her Helen now, even though it seemed wrong to him. But she hated to be called Mrs. Santos or Ma’am by people she said “knew” her, so Helen it was. It had taken Josh six months to get used to calling her that, but he finally was. It had been Helen who had arranged for this long weekend off. It was Helen who had given him the best advice.

“Josh,” She had said, “She just wants to be with you. Ask her at the beginning of the weekend and then focus on her for three whole days. That’s what she wants more than anything.”

“She told you that?” Josh had seemed surprised.

“No. But as a woman married to a very busy man I can tell you that’s what she really wants.” Helen had smiled at him and he guessed she was right.

He pulled the standing bed tray from the hiding place he had found for it. There was one piece of the closet Donna would never go in, saying everyone needed some privacy. He had asked her where her space was and she wouldn’t tell him, finally confessing that anything she needed to hide from him could easily be kept in her office, there was so much space. She liked to rub that in a little bit. He would inform her that he was less than ten feet from the Oval Office and she should understand that size didn’t matter anyway. Her response generally was to let him know that Ronna was closer than he was and that size equaled power. Sometimes he really hated her.

He toasted the blueberry bagel (he had thought about actually cooking something but realized that burnt stuff on a plate did not make for a romantic morning) and spread it with cream cheese. Uck, he thought to himself, blueberry bagels were unnatural, but Donna was from Wisconsin and obviously didn’t know any better. Even though he had tried to train her out of her love of them for nine years now (he had never seen her eat one when they were on the Bartlet for America campaign. He had told her if he had known she liked blueberry bagels back then he really would have fired her) they were her absolute favorite breakfast food. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the large, cubed, ring box, took a piece of plastic wrap and covered it. Josh removed the fruit salad he had bought the night before and plopped it on top of the ring box making it look as if there was a tremendous amount of fruit salad on the plate. He arranged it so the box didn’t show. 

He had started the coffee after his shower and it was now ready. He pulled her favorite mug out of the dishwasher (it was big and had large ugly strawberries on it, she claimed she liked it because of the shape and weight, but he thought she liked it because he kept commenting about how ugly it was), poured her coffee and then poured her a small glass of orange juice. Finally he took a little bud vase and placed a single daisy he had gotten the night before. Actually, Mrs. Deloren had taken care of most of these supplies. He and Donna had gone out to dinner the night before and Mrs. Deloren had slipped in with a copy of his key and had stocked up the refrigerator as they had discussed. She wouldn’t get him coffee, she wouldn’t even go to the dry-cleaners for him, but for the really important stuff she was willing to help out.

“I’ll do it for the cause.” She had said. What she really meant was she would do it for Donna.

Josh looked at the clock. It was now 6:30am and he couldn’t wait anymore. He carried the tray very carefully into the bed room and placed it down on the top of the dresser. He leaned over and kissed the top of Donna’s head gently. She stretched, her eyes fluttered and she rolled over to look at him.

“Hi.” Donna said sleepily.

“Hi.” Josh smiled at her. “I brought you something.”

“Coffee…” Donna said dreamily.

“Yes. Sit up.”

Donna furrowed her brow, confused as to why she needed to sit up for coffee. For the most part she just lay there and Josh would place the coffee on the night table. But she had gotten an extra little-bit of sleep and so she would play this little game. She sat up.

Josh picked up the tray and placed it in front of her. “Blueberry bagel, fruit salad, coffee and juice.”

“Breakfast in bed!” Donna smiled. Josh was a selfish, self-centered, ego-maniac sometimes, but he could certainly bring on the sweet when he wanted to. Josh laid a napkin over her lap and handed her a fork.

“Well this is certainly unexpected.” She smiled as she reached for her bagel and bit into it.

“Well, I figured, three day weekend, you know…” Josh grabbed his own cup of coffee and scooted next to her on the bed.

“Something to commemorate the event?” Donna said with her mouth full.

“Something like that.” Josh smiled. He was surprised at how calm he was. He always imagined that when he did this he would be nervous, pacing. But he was fine. He just wanted her to eat the damn fruit salad. Instead she was focusing on the stupid, nasty, blueberry bagel.

Donna held the foul thing out to him, “Bite?” She asked.

“No thanks. Aren’t you going to eat your fruit salad?”

“Why?”

“Just asking.”

“You didn’t poison it, did you?”

“Why would I poison your fruit salad?”

“I don’t know; perhaps you slipped in some date-rape drug so you could take advantage of me when I’m unconscious.”

“Why would I do that when it’s much more fun to take advantage of you when you’re conscious?”

“Good point.” Donna bit into her bagel again.

Josh watched her chew for a moment, “Blueberry Donna?”

“I like them Josh. I’m sorry if that offends you.”

“It’s unnatural.”

“Whatever.”

Donna finally picked up the fork and jabbed a piece of melon on the top of the pile of fruit salad and popped it in her mouth. She noticed that the fruit salad seemed to be…harder than it should be. Leave it to Josh to mess up fruit salad she thought. It was clearly pre-bought, so how could you screw that up? She pushed aside a few more pieces of melon and discovered the cube like box, covered with plastic wrap. “Josh, I don’t think this is a piece of melon.” She looked at him, he held her gaze. He wasn’t smiling.

“Open it.” He said.

She lifted up the plastic wrap with her fork and pulled the box out from under it. She glanced back up at Josh. She looked at the box again and opened it. The ring was beautiful. Donna didn’t own much jewelry, and she knew next to nothing about diamonds, but she knew it was beautiful.

“Josh…”

“Donnatella Moss, I need you to be quiet now, because I have a question.”

“Okay.”

Josh had thought of a dozen things he could say. Sam had even tried to help him with a little prepared speech. Eventually, they had decided that simplicity was the best idea however. Someday he would show her the speech. Not today however.

“Will you marry me?”

A thousand thoughts went through her mind. Even now, almost ten months into the romantic portion of the relationship, it was hard not to misdirect him with banter, but she knew that it would not be the right response. So she gave him the only response she knew was right. One of the very few times she knew not to use ten words when one would do.

She smiled up at him. “Yes.”

He smiled back and took the ring out of the box and placed it on her left ring finger. He then leaned in, careful not to knock over the tray, and kissed her gently, lovingly, on the lips.

“I’m going to need to call people and let them know about this.” She smiled at him.

“Um, okay.”

“What?”

“They kind of already know.”

“They already know that we’re engaged? Because I didn’t know that until 15 seconds ago.”

“Yeah, sorry, I had to keep you out of the loop on that one.” He was grinning wildly now.

“So wait, C.J. knows?”

“Yes.”

“I assume Sam knows too. Toby?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, The President and Helen?”

“How do you think I arranged the three day weekend.”

“President and Mrs. Bartlet?”

“They wanted me to ask you in New Hampshire.”

“Who else knows?”

“Well, I know it’s old fashioned, but I asked your father’s permission and he said yes, so your family knows and my Mother gave me advice about the rings.”

“So basically I can’t tell anyone.”

“Well, I think they’d all be happy to know I went through with it.” Josh grinned at her. He grabbed her fork and speared a piece of melon.

“I’m going to keep my name you know.” Said Donna, looking at him warily.

“I know. I don’t care.”

“And when do you think we’re going to have time to plan a wedding?”

“I think it depends what kind of wedding you want.” Josh was matter of fact about the whole thing and she found it very odd. “If you want to elope we can do that today, and I’m all for that.”

Donna sighed, “So am I.”

“But,” Josh continued, “I have been strictly told by about two dozen people that they want to be invited to the wedding, and some of those people have access to nuclear launch codes, so I suspect that we should probably do something a little more official.”

“Okay, but no bridesmaids. I have spent far to much time in ugly dresses to ever want to inflict that on anyone else.”

“How about just a maid of honor and a best man? Because there are two people who have made it very clear…”

“That would be fine.”

“And a little wedding with perhaps fifty people or so?”

“Okay…hey, you’ve put thought into this.”

“I have. I actually made a list of who I thought we should invite the other night when you were with Helen at the thing.” Josh rolled over and opened his nightstand drawer. He pulled out a list of names and handed it to her.

“Wow. You don’t usually do that.”

“I do when I think it’s important.”

Donna scanned the list. One former president, one current president. A few senators. Several congressmen, and a whole bunch of their closest friends and family. It was fairly comprehensive. “Where can we possibly do this?”

“Well, President Bartlet had said we should get engaged at the farm but I actually thought it would be better for the wedding.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, well, he’s already got the security detail up there. There is a major airport nearby and Mrs. Bartlet and Zoey said they would take care of the details so we wouldn’t have to. I think Mrs. Bartlet is bored.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot.”

“Of course I have.”

“What does that mean?”

“Donna, I never wanted to get married. It never seemed like it was something that would fit into my lifestyle. I never understood the point. But now I realize I just had never met the right woman. Or, I had met her, I just didn’t realize it. I had to wait for her to grow up a little, and I guess for me to grow up a lot.”

“Josh…”

“I’m not done. I want you and me to spend the rest of our lives together. After years of trying to pretend I didn’t want that, I want everyone to know the way I feel about you.” 

“They do.”

“I know. But I want to make it official.”

“Okay.” Donna moved back to the bagel and nibbled on it.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

“And you love me?”

“You even have to ask?”

“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long.”

“No, I think this is just right Josh.”

They kissed, being careful not to disturb the tray, at first soft, and then probing, with the same longing from a year ago. Only now he was hers and she was his. And they knew what was coming next down the pike. Marriage, maybe kids, a less demanding job sometime down the road.

“Get this damn tray off of me. I want to do unmentionable things to my fiancée.”

And a shiver went down his spine as he smiled, jumped off the bed and removed the tray. She was going to be his wife. He didn’t know he could feel this happy, even if she did like blueberry bagels.


End file.
